The UK is completely in the grip of Coronavirus fear at the moment, with Boris Johnson warning that the workforce may have to be self quarantined at some point in order to stop the spread around the island.
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Understandably, this has led to a lot of people in the country being understandably scared shitless of the virus and heading to their local supermarket and stocking up for the days, weeks or possibly even months that they might be forced to hang out in their houses on their own. This if of course despite the government warning us that there’s no reason to panic buy, but who’s going to listen to the government when the virus is spreading exponentially and there’s literally no way to stop it?
Most essentials are still currently available in shops, but masks, hand sanitisers and tissues have been flying off the shelves as people desperately try to avoid contracting the disease. Boots even had to impose a two bottle limit on some people to ensure that they didn’t run out of stock.
Other items that have come under pressure are rice, pasta, couscous, Pot Noodles, tins of beans, bottled water, pet food, milk, butter and yoghurt. Pharmacy shelves are also bereft of paracetamol, ibuprofen and immune-system boosting tablets as people prepare to do battle with the Coronavirus. All you have to do is go on Facebook or Twitter to see pictures of empty supermarket aisles where those items used to be.
London now is just one big meet-up by the empty hand sanitiser shelves in the supermarkets, everyone briefly seeking eye contact, muttering under their breaths: “I can’t believe they’ve run out, ffs” #coronavirusuk pic.twitter.com/o6JGPKfB5O
— Brontë Aurell (@bronteaurell) March 4, 2020
Unbelievable @sainsburys Visited two of your main stores and all shelves empty! Ridiculous! #panicbuying #coronavirus #supermarkets @WeLoveBath @SomersetLive pic.twitter.com/ApPyTsMX6T
— Samantha 👩🏻🦰 (@samantha1tweets) March 3, 2020
Shelves empty at Coles. Supermarkets sold out of Toilet paper, cleared out of pasta, rice and flour. People really be out here doomsday prepping pic.twitter.com/iZDX40wUsU
— REECE (@FleecyReecy) March 3, 2020
My fb feed is full of pics of empty shelves. My friend just posted this from one of the 4 supermarkets near me. And they’re all are like this. pic.twitter.com/WGXkIzfUNu
— Shae 🔴⚪⚫ (@Shaebee22) March 3, 2020
UK feels pretty blase except for a ‘silent’ run on masks and hand sanitizers which are now almost completely unavailable. Supermarkets not particularly busy and fully stocked (no empty). Some provisions even on discount 😅 pic.twitter.com/Ex8I7CEvPq
— Jeremy Stunt (@JeremyStunt) February 29, 2020
Damn. Funny that the Corona is on discount – I guess we know if everything else is sold out we’ll still be able to get some of that for the end of the world party of whatever.
Seriously though, it feels like the message to stay calm and not panic buy anything really isn’t getting through whatsoever, but how can it when the media is becoming so hysterical about the whole thing, even though the virus has barely claimed that many lives in the grand scheme of things? Better head to the supermarket ASAP.
At least people aren’t fighting each other with knives over toilet paper just yet. That’s going on in Australia.
