People are already starting to panic-buy, so some retailers are limiting the number of paper items like toilet paper and paper towels. They are putting limits on cleaning supplies too.
For now, we are not seeing the panic spread to the produce aisle, or the meats. Producers are urging people not to do that, so we do not end up in a similar situation like we did back in the spring.
The latest numbers show cause for concern. New infections in rural America broke records for the eighth straight week, and for the first time, rural COVID deaths topped 2,000. The deaths set a record for a fourth straight week.
The number of cases increased by 36 percent, but it is more than double the number from three weeks ago.
The rate of new infections in rural counties is higher than that of metro counties, thus a new category has been created.
The “black zone” is considered a very high zone, rural counties with more than 500 new cases per 100,000 people. Most of the Midwest and High Plains fall into this new category.
The “red zones” have more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people.
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