Why rational people are panic buying as coronavirus spreads

By Ari Altstedter and Jinshan Hong

Internet
Wednesday, 11 Mar 2020
11:00 AM MYT

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A customer holding a shopping cart filled with toilet and kitchen paper at a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on March 4, 2020. — Bloomberg

The worldwide spread of the novel coronavirus is leading to some curious side effects: Store shelves are being stripped bare from Singapore to Seattle. Supermarkets in the UK have started rationing items.

In Hong Kong a delivery man was reportedly robbed at knife-point of hundreds of toilet-paper rolls. Australia has seen brawls break out at supermarkets prompting police to taser one man. And France effectively nationalised all production of face masks after people began depleting the supply.

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A customer holding a shopping cart filled with toilet and kitchen paper at a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on March 4, 2020. — Bloomberg

A shopping cart filled with toilet paper, kitchen paper and other products stands inside a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on March 4, 2020. — Bloomberg

Shelves are empty of toilet rolls in a supermarket in Sydney on March 4, 2020. Australia's biggest supermarket announced a limit on hand sanitisers and toilet paper purchases after the global spread of coronavirus sparked a spate of panic buying Down Under. — AFP

Shelves are empty of hand sanitiser in a supermarket in Sydney on March 4, 2020. Australia's biggest supermarket announced a limit on hand sanitisers and toilet paper purchases after the global spread of coronavirus sparked a spate of panic buying Down Under. — AFP

A customer pushing a shopping cart containing toilet paper at a supermarket in Sydney, Australia, on March 4, 2020. — Bloomberg

Shelves usually stocked with toilet rolls are seen empty in a supermarket following panic buying in Sydney on March 8, 2020. A fight over toilet paper in an Australian supermarket on March 7 prompted police to call for calm after the latest violence sparked by coronavirus-induced panic buying in the country. — AFP

A supermarket shelf with canned lentil and pea stew is seen partly empty and not yet refilled on Monday, following panic buying over the weekend due to the coronavirus (Covid-19), in Bad Honnef near Bonn, Germany. — Reuters

Shelves are empty of toilet rolls in a supermarket in Sydney on March 4, 2020. Australia's biggest supermarket announced a limit on hand sanitisers and toilet paper purchases after the global spread of coronavirus sparked a spate of panic buying Down Under. — AFP

Topic:

Internet Social media Covid-19 Watch Technology

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Symbol	Open	High	Low	Last	Chg	%Chg	Vol ('00)
HSI-CWC4	0.070	0.100	0.060	0.080	0.000	0.00	2,036,484
HSI-CWEP	0.090	0.125	0.090	0.105	0.020	23.53	1,860,383
MYEG	0.835	0.915	0.810	0.900	0.065	7.78	923,664
HSI-PWD3	0.060	0.070	0.040	0.050	-0.005	-9.09	699,178
SUMI	0.185	0.205	0.180	0.195	0.005	2.63	624,205
HSI-PWDT	0.140	0.140	0.100	0.110	-0.015	-12.00	357,482
GAMUDA	3.750	3.830	3.680	3.770	-0.080	-2.08	280,225
TOPGLOV	0.890	0.915	0.875	0.905	-0.005	-0.55	277,346
CIMB	6.700	6.760	6.570	6.650	-0.260	-3.76	276,305
HSI-CWC6	0.160	0.225	0.160	0.200	0.015	8.11	271,710
TANCO	0.770	0.785	0.725	0.780	-0.020	-2.50	268,112
HSI-CWEQ	0.110	0.180	0.110	0.145	0.025	20.83	262,552
INARI	1.600	1.710	1.580	1.660	-0.060	-3.49	256,915
GENM	1.520	1.680	1.510	1.670	0.120	7.74	253,714
SUPERMX	0.825	0.870	0.820	0.845	-0.005	-0.59	251,217

Why rational people are panic buying as coronavirus spreads