Jordan Beck | Daily Press Escanaba resident Christie Forvilly goes shopping for the essentials at Elmer’s County Market Friday.

ESCANABA — Michigan’s first confirmed coronavirus cases were announced this week, and people in the area have been stocking up on a variety of products in response to the pandemic. Delta County authorities are encouraging people to prepare, but not to panic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s official website, www.cdc.gov, people are asked to have enough household items and groceries on hand to “be prepared to stay at home for a period of time.” The CDC also encouraged people to ask their healthcare provider about getting extra necessary medications to have on hand in case there is a coronavirus outbreak in their community, to consider using mail-order for medications if needed, and to be sure they have over-the-counter medicines and medical supplies to treat fever and other coronavirus symptoms.

Delta County Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Geyer said people should plan on having about three days worth of essential supplies in their homes.

“That’s always a good recommendation,” he said.

Still, he urged people to think rationally.

“I think, while it’s important to be prepared for any sort of emergency, there is no cause for panic at this point,” he said.

Elmer’s County Market in Escanaba has seen a significant increase in business recently.

“The last two days have been very busy,” General Manager Rod Stende said, noting sales during these days were up about 30 percent from normal.

Stende expected this level of business to continue through the weekend. He said it may fall after that point, as people who have stocked up will not need to do additional grocery shopping for a while.

As has been the case elsewhere, many people shopping at Elmer’s have been looking for toilet paper.

“Toilet paper’s the number-one seller, and I don’t know why,” Stende said.

While Elmer’s did not have toilet paper on its shelves as of Friday morning, Stende said the store has been able to consistently restock its toilet paper supplies so far. In the interest of cutting down on hoarding, it has limited sales of toilet paper to two packages per household.

“We just want everybody to have some,” Stende said.

Other items in demand at Elmer’s included water and hand sanitizer. Stende said Elmer’s was sold out of the latter product, and he did not expect to receive additional stock in the near future.

In the meantime, he encouraged concerned people in the area to focus on thoroughly washing their hands.

“Soap and warm water will do the job,” Stende said.

Aside from these products, Stende said Elmer’s had not been affected by shortages.

“We’ve got a pretty good supply of everything else,” he said.

Stende also noted that — as it is a small community with many grocery stores — coronavirus-related shortages in Delta County have not been as severe as shortages elsewhere.

“It isn’t as bad as larger cities,” he said.

Escanaba resident Christie Forvilly said she was shopping at Elmer’s to stock up on the essentials Friday.

“I’m just here getting some groceries I need, and buying a little bit extra just in case,” she said, adding that she was primarily buying extra meat.

She was not looking for toilet paper at the store.

“I buy extra toilet paper every time it’s on sale,” Forvilly said.

Forvilly said she had mixed thoughts on the public response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I think a lot of people are overreacting … but it seems to be more contagious than the flu,” she said.

Diane Krouth, of Gladstone, said her main reason for going to Elmer’s Friday was to take advantage of a sale. However, she did want to check supply levels at the store while she was there.

“I’m actually kind of checking out the quantities available in the store of things,” she said.

Krouth had gone out looking for toilet paper Thursday.

“I went on that fiasco yesterday … we needed it in our house, and there was none to be found,” she said, noting she did eventually find some.

She wanted to stock up on something else while she was in town, though — namely, Science Diet canned dog food, which she was worried might not be shipped for a while.

“My dog eats a special kind of dog food … that only Tractor Supply and Mel’s carries,” Krouth said.

At Pat’s Foods IGA in Gladstone, Store Manager Thomas Meyer said business has “ticked up” in recent days.

“I think people are starting to stockpile supplies,” he said.

Items Meyer said are particularly popular at Pat’s include toilet paper and paper products, sanitizers, water and canned goods.

“As of Friday morning, we still have all of the above, but we’ll more than likely run out by the weekend on some things,” he said.

Meyer went on to say efforts to keep the store clean have been stepped up.

“We’ve increased our sanitizing and cleaning around the store for … the customers’ and the employees’ protection,” he said.

Larger businesses have been affected by coronavirus, as well. A note from Rick Keyes, president and CEO of Meijer, provided information on how the chain has been impacted by the pandemic.

“Our team members are working to address any inventory issues that arise as a result of this virus. We’re working to secure additional quantities of items that families need most at this time, and we appreciate your patience as we do our best to keep our shelves stocked for you and your families,” Keyes said.

Keyes said Meijer is following the guidance of the CDC and other health experts.

“While we take great pride in our high standards of store cleanliness and food safety, we’re redoubling our efforts to proactively sanitize our stores more frequently throughout the day, especially at our check lanes, self-checkouts and service areas,” he said.