Brits told not to go on panic shopping
LONDON: Panic buying is taking place across the UK after the government announced that the country is about four weeks away from an Italy-like peak of the coronovirus outbreak.
Ravi Singh, senior IT professional based in Maidenhead near London, travelled to Southall to buy ‘dal’ and other ingredients of Indian cooking, but struggled to get any. The usually wellstocked shops in the area known as ‘Little India’ had few on sale.
Toilet rolls, pasta, spaghetti and tinned food are among items in short supply. Many posted on social media images of empty shelves and long queues.
Buy responsibly, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) urged shoppers on Sunday, assuring them that retailers are working round-the-clock to help customers get the products they need. Concerns grew, since the UK imports many of its food products from the EU.
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Retailers are working incredibly hard to keep shops well stocked and deliveries running as smoothly as possible”.
“In the face of unprecedented demand as a result of coronavirus, food retailers have come together to ask their customers to support each other to make sure everyone can get access to the products they need.”
PANIC BUYING HITS AMERICA TOO
Thousands of shoppers lined up outside supermarkets and grocery stores in the US before they opened, eager for a chance to buy essentials that have flown off shelves as the country hunkers down to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Americans have been stocking up on goods for days. But the severity of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which causes a sometimes fatal, highly contagious respiratory illness, really started to sink in after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Friday, releasing $50 billion in federal aid to help states fight the virus.