Stores have placed limits on toilet paper purchases. /AP
Concerns surrounding the new coronavirus in Australia have prompted a run on one essential item in particular – toilet paper.
Supermarkets in Australia are struggling to keep up with demand for toilet paper. /CGTN
Supermarkets across the country are struggling to keep up with the demand. Several supermarket chains have now placed limits on the amount each customer can buy. In New South Wales, a man was reportedly tasered by police after an altercation broke out over toilet paper.
The run on toilet paper began last month, shortly after Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the country had enacted an emergency response plan to deal with the worsening coronavirus outbreak. While people began stockpiling essential items such as flour and pasta, toilet paper has been in increasing demand. Bare shelves in stores have become a common sight, along with shoppers pushing carts filled with toilet paper rolls. One Australian toilet paper manufacturer has reportedly put on extra staff to deal with the stockpiling frenzy.
One newspaper recently poked fun at the toilet paper panic, printing a special edition that included an additional insert that could be cut into toilet paper.