Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix took time Saturday to make clear that there is no need to stockpile food or supplies, despite an increase in social distancing measures to help curb the pandemic.
Dr. Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia, had an even simpler way of conveying the message when speaking with Global News on Sunday.Coronavirus: Panic buying and stockpiling at B.C. storesThe Psychology of Pandemics: Preparing for the Next Global Outbreak of Infectious Disease.
“It starts with a small group of people who panic and over-purchase at a sense of perceived urgency and scarcity, and it snowballs,” said Taylor.When images of people with overstuffed shopping carts go viral, Taylor says it only escalates the situation. The Canadian-owned pharmacy, which has 80 stores across Western Canada, says restocking some high demand products has been a challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Things like hand sanitizer, masks, certain vitamins, toilet paper, there’s a number of items right now that we simply cannot get, even keep in stock,” Del Negro said.
Besides toilet paper I am seeing empty shelves when it comes to spray bottles and rubbing alcohol. I'm also seeing wildly divergent pricing on the price for a bottle of rubbing alcohol.