Things are crazy around here (NJ) as well.
We went to the supermarket yesterday, not out of panic, but to do normal weekly shopping. ...We do not own a large freezer, so we shop more frequently.
Business was booming to the point there was hardly any merchandise on the shelves. ....No meats, canned vegetables, soups, paper products, detergent, soaps, cereals, crackers, bottled water, etc. ....Only things not sold out were milk, eggs, cheese, and produce with short shelf-life. ...Basically, anything which could be frozen or stored was sold out.
We talked with one employee who stated as fast as they get a delivery and re-stock, it's gone from the shelves. ....He stated while they normally re-stock 2000 items on Thursday, they re-stocked 10,000 items and most were gone by mid-day Friday. .....While this is good for today's business, the hoarders will not be purchasing the excess items for quite some time.
It's ironic that we are being told to avoid large groups of people to minimize spread of the virus, yet the supermarkets, Walmarts, Costcos, BJ's, Sam's Clubs, etc are packed with people! ....Governments, organizations, companies, schools, churches and events are being closed, cancelled, minimized, or postponed.
Trump is getting blamed for not reacting sooner. ....I'm sure he is/was acting on information that is/was available to him at the time. ....The CDC did not have a good understanding or enough information in advance to anticipate all needs. ....The RATE of spread caught many people, governments, and countries off-guard.
Nature's way of population control? ....Darwin's theory? ....God culling the herd? ....Time will tell.