With the resurgence of Covid-19 rising in 27 states, including six of them with an increase of more than 100 percent in confirmed cases from two weeks ago, the talk on social media is another wave of panic buying is imminent.
Some point toward Australia, as proof of a reasonable assumption that panic buying will reoccur in the U.S.
A picture from a Woolworths near Hillside, northwest of Melbourne, showed an almost bare toilet paper shelf among many empty – weeks after supermarkets loosened restrictions enforced during the first wave of panic buying.
Hillside, in the city of Brimbank, is one of many suburbs in six local councils (counties) announced by the Victorian government to be coronavirus hotspots on Sunday.
Locally, in our area, it appears that most grocery stores are keeping limits on purchases of certain items in place, even as they are catching up in restocking shelves. Though, those limits were often not enforced by stores during the past round of panic buying.
Also in our favor is Pennsylvania is not among those 27 states considered emerging hotspots, or seeing a significant spike in confirmed cases.
If panic buying does occur again, my bet is like Australia, it will happen in areas of the country that will be forced to reinstate social distancing restrictions that were lifted too early, or didn’t enforce those they had.
So, no need to run out and buy another year’s worth of toilet paper.
Disclaimer: On January 4, 2016, the owner of WestEastonPA.com began serving on the West Easton Council following an election. Postings and all content found on this website are the opinions of Matthew A. Dees and may not necessarily represent the opinion of the governing body for The Borough of West Easton.
