People have been hoarding goods and products as fears of a possible coronavirus pandemic spread.
Photos and videos shared on social media showed empty shelves in stores, as well as physical altercations between customers fighting over items, most commonly toilet paper, an item that is not necessary for fighting coronavirus.
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A video showed three women in Sydney, Australia brawling over one pack of toilet paper.
“I just want one pack,” one woman is heard saying.
“No, not one pack,” the other woman responded as she grabbed onto her shopping cart full of toilet paper.
Twitter user Adam Clark shared a video of a crowded toilet paper section in a Costco warehouse, a retail store where people can buy items in bulk.
“Panic buying and stockpiling of toilet roll continues,” he said.
Another video showed an empty disinfectants section in a store, shared by Twitter user Jonathan Choe.
“This is what’s left of the disinfectants and cleaning supplies at this @StopandShop in Allston. Store clerk says it’s all ‘panic buying’ and #Coronavirus related,” he said in a tweet.
An older man in another video said all the pasta shelves are empty as he is filmed leaving a grocery store.
“What’s happening,” he said in Italian. “There wasn’t this much panic when World War II started.”
Over 100,000 people globaly have been infected with coronavirus, more than 3,480 have died due to the virus.
