There is a lot of misinformation surrounding coronavirus. Coronavirus concerns appear to have created an international irrational rush for toilet paper, with social media images showing low supplies in a number of countries.
People, we all need it!
Shoppers have begun to stockpile items due to the spread of the virus, despite authorities insisting it would not be necessary to do so.
Sharon Reilly photographed a shop in Massachusetts, noting that toilet paper stocks were running low while "all the bleach was gone too."
"It did not make me feel like I needed to stockpile. It made me sad that people are clearly scared," Reilly said.
Franziska Heintel shared photos of empty supermarket shelves in Berlin.
"I'm not sure if it's an accurate representation and I don't want to make people panic even more. There's probably plenty of stores here that didn't sell out of stuff yet," she said. "I was just super shocked and surprised to see this when I was just doing some regular shopping."
Many others were posting their own experiences.
Many more similar scenes were spotted in various parts of Australia, where "toilet paper" began trending.
“The world's gone mad! 3 supermarkets – no toilet roll! Last I heard #coronavirus causes a flu-like illness not wild, explosive diarrhea!" Anne Stubbs tweeted. “Scored possibly the last pack in the whole of Brisbane!"
Some are also piling up on food.
The UK Government's chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said there was no need to follow suit.
"I think the advice is that there is absolutely no reason to be doing any panic buying of any sort or going out and keeping large supplies of things," he told reporters.
"Clearly there will need to be measures in cases of household quarantine for making sure food is in the right place at the right time. We imagine that could be a rolling case of household quarantine if that measure becomes necessary, and clearly things will need to be in place for care homes and so on if that decision is made."
His comments came after Ocado warned that more people than usual are "placing particularly large orders."
So, in conclusion, remember we all need toilet paper, and we're not in quarantine, so you don't need to buy a year's worth of stuff.
