The pandemic has come storming back to some parts of Europe, and there’s a possibility that we are next. Hope of a return to normality is being replaced by a much more ominous prospect: the return to lockdown.

“So we’re going to have either a fall/winter wave or a winter wave — a second wave. I can’t exactly tell you when that wave will crest,” said Andrew Noymer, a public health expert and epidemiologist at UC Irvine during an interview with Voice of OC.

When predicting the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, experts look to other pandemics and the behavior of other viruses. Examples include the 1918 flu pandemic and the 2009 H1N1 flu epidemic. Both of these events began with a mild wave of infections in the spring, followed by another surge of cases in the fall.

“The 1918 pandemic transpired in three waves. The first wave in the spring of 1918 was relatively mild,” said Dr. Jeremy Brown, an emergency care physician and author of “Influenza: The Hundred-Year Hunt to Cure the Deadliest Disease in History.” 

“A majority of 1918 flu deaths occurred in the fall of 1918 — the second, and worst, wave of the 1918 flu,” Brown said. 

Around the world, according to the World Health Organization, a resurgence of COVID-19 is a threat. Areas that were hit hard by the coronavirus in the winter, such as China, Italy, and Iran, are still on guard for outbreaks. 

Few countries have also eased closures and distancing measures, but new cases are still occurring. Even countries with strict lock-down policies over the winter, such as China, are seeing new cases.

Recently, Orange County has undergone an extreme surge of new incidents, landing us in the purple process of the state’s pandemic monitoring scheme, which is sure to restrict many businesses just ahead of the holiday season.

At a media briefing on November 10th, governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged that California has experienced the fastest rise in new cases since the start of the pandemic and that the distribution of COVID-19 is no longer clustered in a handful of counties.

“Daily cases in the state of California have doubled just in the last 10 days,” Newsom said. “Every age group, every demographic – racial, ethnic – in every part of this state, we are seeing case rates increase and positivity rates increase as well.”

On November 19th, Governor Newson issued a new limited Stay-at-Home Order due to the rise of covid-19 cases. This new order includes all non-essential work and gatherings to stop between the hours of 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for counties in the purple tier and will be in effect from November 2  to December 21.

As ICU’s are climbing quickly toward their maximum capacity, Governor Newson has introduced a Regional Stay-at-Home Order in order to slow the surge of Covid-19 and save lives. Bars, wineries, personal services, hair salons, and barbershops will be ordered to close under this new order. This new order will only affect regions where the ICU capacity is below 15%. 

“Remember: this is temporary. Hope is on the way. Relief is on the way, A vaccine is coming– with the first doses arriving in the next few weeks. We can get through this–together,” said Newsom after announcing the Regional Stay-at-Home order on Twitter. 

It’s getting worse every day. In the United States, every day that goes by, there is a higher chance of people around you having the coronavirus. People at your family’s work. Kids in your family’s school. Or your family members. If you can stay home, if not wear a mask when in public. 

Amid all this chaos and rumors of a stricter lockdown in the making, here are 9 things you’ll need to get through the second wave: