New Jersey state officials are saying that there is no reason to panic about the coronavirus, but that has not stopped New Jerseyans from rushing out to the stores to get prepared just in case.

People like Mary Dagostino have been out at area shopping centers to stock up on supplies.

“We have water, we have Gatorade … six things of peanut butter, eight things of jelly,” she says.

Dagostino says that she is preparing for a potential quarantine in New Jersey.

“If we are at home, school’s closed, I want to have what we need,” she says.

 

Andrew Fitzsimmons says that he isn’t concerned about the virus, but that he is stocking up on items like bottled water anyway in case panic causes a shortage.

“People are buying more and everything is getting sold out of the shelves,” he says.

There are not currently any confirmed cases of coronavirus in New Jersey. But there are some in New York, and Gov. Phil Murphy says that a case in New Jersey eventually is likely. But he adds that good personal hygiene can go a long way.

“The surest way to protect yourselves and loved ones is to wash your hands frequently with soap and water,” he says.

Murphy says that the state is prepared if an outbreak comes to the Garden State. New Jersey’s poison control is managing a coronavirus hotline. They say that last week the hotline averaged about 100 calls a day.