Armed robbers who stole toilet paper were being hunted by Hong Kong police yesterday, in a territory wracked by shortages caused by panic-buying due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Toilet paper has become hot property in Hong Kong, despite the government’s assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the coronavirus outbreak.
Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading to sometimes lengthy lines of customers and shelves wiped clean within moments of opening.
Photo: AP
Alongside toilet paper, there has been a run on staples such as rice and pasta, as well as hand sanitizer and other cleaning items.
Police said a truck driver was held up early yesterday by three men outside a supermarket in Mong Kok District, a working-class area of Hong Kong with a history of organized-crime gangs.
“A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 [US$129],” a police spokesman said.
Now TV footage showed police investigators standing around multiple crates of toilet paper outside a Wellcome supermarket. One of the crates was only half stacked.
Hong Kongers reacted to the heist with a mixture of bafflement and merriment.
One woman passing by the scene of the crime who was interviewed by local TV station iCable said: “I’d steal face masks, but not toilet roll.”
The territory is experiencing a genuine shortage of masks.
The hysteria that has swept Hong Kong since the COVID-19 outbreak exploded in China is partly fueled by its tragic history of confronting a deadly disease.
In 2003, 299 Hong Kongers died of SARS — an outbreak that also began in China, but was covered up by Beijing, a decision that left a legacy of distrust on health issues.
The COVID-19 outbreak also comes at a time when the territory’s pro-Beijing leadership has a historic low approval rating after refusing to bow to months of pro-democracy protests.
Authorities have blamed false online rumors for panic-buying, saying that supplies of food and household goods remain stable, but the buying has itself created shortages in a territory where stores and pharmacies have limited space.
Photographs posted online have shown some people proudly stuffing their cramped apartments with packets of hoarded toilet paper.
The head of the Hong Kong Consumer Council on Sunday warned people not to stockpile toilet paper as it is prone to mold in the humid climate, adding that there were ample supplies of toilet paper.
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