As soon as the potentially deadly novel coronavirus struck Washington state in January, Jackie Lynds jumped into action, knowing she couldn’t take any chances.

Lynds has cystic fibrosis, a genetic mutation which causes a person’s body to overproduce thick mucus, trapping bacteria and pathogens. This has led her to take drastic measure to isolate herself in the face of the pandemic.

The young professional started preparing for prolonged isolation months ago by purchasing household goods and everyday essentials.

She stocked up over time, knowing that she would need to stay at home for a long period of time in order to avoid getting sick.

“I bought a five pound bag of rice, so that should last me a while,” she told the Sun Journal over the phone.

She estimates she should be able to last a month before her supplies run out.

On March 12, the day the first case was reported in Maine, she stopped leaving her Lisbon home. Knowing her underlying health concerns, her supervisors at the company she works for were immediately able to accommodate her working from home. As of Monday, the rest of the company also was working from home.

Jackie’s boyfriend came by on Friday, March 13, for his last visit. She met him at the door with hand sanitizer after which he immediately washed his hands.

“We just watched a movie and had dinner together, nothing too fancy,” she said.

After the visit, she closed her door to the outside world — including her boyfriend — for the last time.

Since then, she has been using the extra time painting and removing wallpaper at her recently purchased home. The house’s previous owners live locally and have checked in with her to make sure she has everything she needs.

“So many people have offered to drop things off on my porch,” she said. “But I don’t want to take them up on it because I don’t want to put them at risk either.“

Lynds has a system for bringing things into the house to lower the risk of contamination.

“I’ve been leaving Amazon packages for a few days before I bring them inside” she said. “And once they’re inside, I leave them in my little (closed off) mud room area for a few more days. And then immediately wash my hands, of course.”

She said the pandemic seems to have brought out the best in people.

“This has physically pulled us all apart. But it’s also brought us all together”

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