If anyone has been paying any attention to the various opinions from the major public health organizations over the last few decades, a pandemic has been considered almost inevitable eventually.
Fast convenient travel of all types for ever-increasing users from expanding locales internationally have made the probability of an opportunistic malady spreading geometrically worldwide almost a given.
What can one do in the short term? Stay healthy, practice good hygiene. Wash your hands often. Avoid large crowds if that's practical. If someone appears 'ill' near you, keep your distance. If you don't feel well, don't go to work at your office or wherever (at least until you're sure you're healthy again). If you don't improve significantly or get worse, then seek help. And keep your wits about you.
All of this ought to be SOP anyway. Succumbing to abject paranoia ("It's a CCP biowar plot!") is counterproductive and uncalled for.
The Chinese themselves have the most to fear from this outbreak. Their massive population and population centers have the most reason to be very concerned over this.
It's unlikely that you'll contract any disease from handling objects, unless you're in the habit of licking them....so don't.
