Coronavirus fears prompt panic buying in cities in Europe, Asia, US
- Armed group steals toilet rolls from a man in Hong Kong, while shoppers in Singapore and Seoul stock up on vegetables and noodles
- Stockpiling of essential items also witnessed in Romania, New Zealand and Hawaii, according to newspaper reports
Perplexed at why people were panic buying, Singaporean trade minister Chan Chun Sing accused citizens of the city state of engaging in “monkey see, monkey do behaviour” in a private conversation with businesspeople. A leaked audio clip of his comments went viral.
“You want to stock rice, stock noodle, I can tahan [“live with it” in Malay]. Then why stock toilet paper? If you eat all the rice and instant noodles you confirm [sic] diarrhoea,” he said in remarks laced with the city state’s famed “Singlish” lingo.
Hong Kong’s police were also tut-tutting after armed robbers held a man at knifepoint to steal 50 packs of toilet rolls.
As the Covid-19 outbreak shows signs of making further beachheads around the world, authorities outside Asia – from the US to Europe and the Middle East – could find themselves making similar rants in the days to come.
