There is a lot of blaming the public that is unwarranted around this virus. Some examples -
- Government - Be prepared that you might need to self isolate for 2 -weeks. This was said without any discussion with supermarkets beforehand of the implications. Supermarkets know if a recipe from a famous chef is on the TV that they need to stock up with those items beforehand
So the response is more people stock up on food so they could do this if needed. Most people shop at least weekly and don't have enough in normally to self isolate for 2 weeks. People buying more pasta, toilet rolls and tinned food was entirely predictable.
Blame - Oh no people are being stupid and panic buying.
- Government - wash your hands and if you can't, use hand sanitiser.
Response - shops run out of hand sanitiser. Most people don't buy any so do need to buy it to follow advice.
Blame - oh no people are buying too much hand sanitiser, just use soap and water folks.
- Government - For weeks - this is just a mild cold. Only the very elderly or already very ill will die.
Government - then suddenly - self isolate for 7 days if you have a fever or continous cough.
Response - do I really need to self isolate for just a cold? What is the big deal? Why can't I at least go out for a run or a walk?
Blame - FFS people just take responsibility, you are going to kill my grandmother.
Yes of course there are outliers, there always are. People who buy hand sanitiser to sell on ebay, or people who buy food as if they are going to have to self isolate at home for a year. But most people are behaving perfectly rationally in response to what the Government is actually saying. To blame people is unfair.