to think panic buyers are increasing the spread of coronavirus?

[allthiswasunseen]

Our weekly online shop was half empty as ASDA were out of stock of so much stuff. So I went out to ASDA the next day to top up - couldn't as out of stock. DH went to lidl, out of stock of most stuff. I got some essentials from a corner shop a way away, but we still need more so I am going out to a shop again today and then tomorrow H is doing an early morning shop. So basically we are making five in person trips, out in the world, mixing and potentially getting adn spreading the virus. Presumably loads of other people are doing this too.

In fact, I think we will just have to give up on the online shop altogether - we ordered it six days in advance and it was only half delivered. We can't rely on that - we are best off going out to get the shopping - from multiple shops depending on what they have.

Surely some sort of rationing is now needed to stop this madness, ensure that there is enough food to go around (which there is if people would stop hoarding), so that people can get what they need online, like normal, and stop people bloody going out and mixing to buy food and essentials.

I agree. Every needs to calm the fuvk down, stop selfishly buying everything! Shop normally and stay the fuck home! It’s crazy, we can see what’s going on in Italy yet are taking no notice. The UK is really showing itself up as the selfish greedy and small minded country that it is - again. I’m ashamed of us

Yes, it's very worrying. As you say, even when you think you've got a delivery arranged, when you log on to the website to add anything you've forgotten you see that loads of items have been removed from the delivery as they've gone out of stock. There's no delivery slots available for future dates so everyone that is self-isolating will be forced out sooner or later and will no doubt have to go to several places looking for food. It's a nightmare scenario that makes me think of apocalyptic films, only it's become a reality that will only get much MUCH worse.

UK is really showing itself up as the selfish greedy and small minded country that it is - again. I’m ashamed of us

Is it just us? Or a human nature thing. People are lovely and generous when they have lots of resources but stop as soon as they see their own resources threatened. I hear food banks aren't getting donations as people are keeping it all for their own supplies.

You’re right - but the people won’t stop. Humans are inherently selfish and something like this will push some people over the edge.

This is what I am met with daily in all shops just trying to buy basic essentials, I haven’t panic bought anything, I haven’t stockpiled, but because of the people that have/are and overbuying without thinking of others I am unable
To get anything

Yes, Music - exactly! We don't stockpile as it is selfish. But because those early hoarders did - they created scarcity that otherwise wouldn't have existed - and that makes other people start to stockpile as now there is scarcity!

That's why I think it is time for the government to step in.

I think they are advising people who are not in the at risk categories to not use online shopping.

I agree. I’n buying for 3 households (mine, two sets of elderly/co-morbidity). We didn’t stockpile as we were told it would be ok. I didn’t panic add toilet roll and pasta to my shop when levels dwindled a few weeks ago. But now I have to go to 3 or 4 shops in a day and still can’t get everything everyone needs. That is massively increasing my ‘gathering’ contact.

And no bread for 3 days running in any of those 4 shops. I literally cannot understand what is being done with it all. People can’t be stashing it in their lofts as it won’t last. What ARE they doing with it?

I think they are advising people who are not in the at risk categories to not use online shopping

But that is only because of the panic buying! If people weren't panic buying everything would be as normal! .

I have an immune suppressed dh, a severely disabled dd and two sets of elderly parents that I'm having to shop for. Every time I go into a crowded supermarket I'm putting them all at risk but have no choice but to go to multiple places to just get the basics. Thanks to all the selfish arseholes it's a real possibility that one or more members of my family will die. The supermarkets have put signs up to limit numbers of purchases but aren't enforcing it.
People are just walking through self checkout and scan and shop with trolley loads, I witnessed a woman clear an entire shelf of beans and just go straight through check out and no one even challenged her.
It's time for Boris (and being a lefty pacifist, I never thought I'd say this) to deploy the armed services to get a lid on this.

Presumably the online thing is a double issue, panic buying and limiting contact. They want low risk groups to free up online slots for people who should be avoiding contact. Therefore, they want lots of people who work 5 days and usually place online orders to swap places with older people who normally shop in store. If healthy people continue to order online and high risk groups start to too, there are not enough drivers and supplies to deliver a full online service.

@allthiswasunseen it’s just the U.K. and the US. shops are full and operating as normal in Ireland. Everyone is behaving themselves and not going mad. It’s not human nature to be so selfish but it does show the true colours of people we thought we knew.

I don't blame people for panic buying. I think it's a completely natural reaction to, well, panicking. And for that I blame the government, who have been giving out mixed, unclear messages from day 1, and look untrustworthy in the assurances they're giving, both about the NHS's ability to cope and the solidity of food supply chains.

People aren't charging around piling their trolleys high like it's Supermarket Sweep. They're stocking up with basics and staples and making judicious choices about what will fit in freezers and what are good substitutes for things that aren't available. And where I live at least, they're doing it largely in silence. People are frightened and I don't blame them.

It wouldn't have been popular, but imo the government should have stepped in in early course to control food supply chains and ensure that everyone could have basic groceries delivered to their door from two weeks ago onwards. If they hadn't been so obsessed with pretending there was nothing to see here, they could have taken sensible measures to ensure we all get through this more or less intact, but they were too bloody scared that being seen to react as though this was serious would result in the economy tanking, which in fact it has now done anyway.

So blame Boris and his cronies, not the panic buyers (and still less the preppers, who saw all this coming from afar).

It happening in Australia, Belgium and Germany. Lots more places and countries, but on a smaller scale.

People are worried and to be quite frank, the UK government response has been shit and wishy washy, not quick enough, not concrete enough.

Other countries have spaces on floors for queuing, are counting people in and out of stores so they don't get too full, are increasing deliveries.

Whereas, in the UK....
Why are deliveries getting less? why are stores allowed to be full of people? Why aren't stores enforcing 3 or 4 items policy? Why haven't things been locked down more like in France with people allowed to go shopping and to work but in a more controlled way?

Why haven't all pubs been closed?
Why are they not testing everyone with symptoms?

The rest of the world will get over this and the UK along with Brexshit will be stuck in a deep depression like we have never seen before. But hey they voted for this shit show of a government.

It will be bad of me to say this but hey I'm thinking it, that I hope the people really affected by this are the ones who voted for austerity, for low wages and zero hours contracts, for the decimation of the welfare state, for the decimation of the NHS, for the current and last tory government, for Boris johnson, for brexshit, I hope this affects them. Karma, who knows....

However, I know it will be the people at the bottom affected more than anyone as usual, as they have the least with which to cushion themselves with.
The economic fallout will always hit those with least worst.
The human cost, who knows?

And before anyone says it is not political, well it is political as different people with a different mindset would make different decisions, that is the nature of politics. Our politics and politicians in this country are crap, hence the current weeks of crap decisions and wishy washy policies.

It's not that hard to lock down properly, why has Ireland got full supermarkets yet they are locked down more?

China managed it, just one of their many many provinces was bigger than the UK.

Ireland have actually said we are endangering all their work due to their border with Northern Ireland. And we are. Why are we so shit at sorting out anything? It's pathetic.

I am hoping it is a blip. I can see the rationale behind making sure you have enough food in to last for two weeks if you have to self isolate. Maybe when people feel comfortable that they have that scenario covered things will calm down.

The answer is clear. We have a Tory government that do not care, nor have they ever pretended to care, about the people. Their interests are money and power. Really think they care if we die?

Most people are infected at home. The WHO China Joint Mission Report suggested that 80% of transmission occurred in the household. The next major transmission spots are closed quarters like prisons and hospitals. Supermarkets are not a big risk. Obviously there is always some risk.

www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/sph/ide/gida-fellowships/Imperial-College-COVID19-NPI-modelling-16-03-2020.pdf

www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf

"Their interests are money and power. Really think they care if we die?"
My taje is s that the more vulnerable/ chronically ill and elderly die, the less strain on the economy/ NHS/ services etc, I'm guessing that's the Government thinking anyway

No that's wrong

• the chinese could nt get out to go shopping and if they could only 1 person
• the secondary attack is only 10%.

The chinese wear masks so lower transmission at home and in the supermarket....

I think online shopping needs picking from a separate warehouse.
It's ridiculous as i confirmed mine at last minute and yet got almost no freezer stuff. It was saying it was in stock.
How can you plan if you dont get it.

Most people are infected at home.

Clearly, though, the first person in any household to get it will have picked it up elsewhere. With a huge number of people now working from home, and given that most of us have no need to be hanging around hospitals or prisons, people going to the shops - particularly people going repeatedly - are going to be a major source of contagion, so the OP does have a point.

It's happening here in Australia also. We had the Bushfire recently and people were being so kind and generous. Now people have changed and it seems it's every man for himself. People are being horrible and so judgmental if you buy toilet paper, pasta, rice, cans- they have put limits on everything. Husband has had to go to the shop every day after work to get what we need.