Coronavirus: Finns terrified of running out of toilet paper
This is what the toilet paper shelves showed on Friday afternoon in Lauttasaari K-Market. Similar scenes of toilet paper panic during the day in other countries of the world.
The coronavirus (koronavirus, in Finnish) is spread throughout Finland. On Friday, the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL, in its Finnish acronym), reported that 51 new cases have been diagnosed in the last 24 hours. The country already found 155 infections, at least known. And counting.
The Government have taken some measures, including banning meetings of more than 500 people and some schools and work centers have decided to send people home.
Epidemic
Health authorities admitted on Friday that the country is on the brink of the epidemic and more and more citizens see a scenario of general quarantine as possible, so they have started to collect essential items. And for some reason, the first thing to end in stores is toilet paper.
The photographs shown in this article have been sent by a reader and correspond to the situation in a big K-market and in the small K-Market Oliivi shop, both in Lautasaari (Helsinki) on Friday afternoon. But this is a situation repeated throughout the country.
The toilet paper fever is already causing supply difficulties, according to K-Market. "Dear customers, due to high demand, the supplier is experiencing delivery difficulties. We apologize for any lack of product," the shop says.
1,5 kilometers away, there was no toilet paper in the small K-Market Oliivi store.
Photo: Foreigner.fi
However, yes, they promised to have it available after seven o'clock in the evening.
Enough food in stores
In general, the level of food supply in Finnish supermarkets is being more than enough and the shelves are well stocked. On Friday afternoon in Lautasaari only a few varieties of bread were scarce but in general the offer was still wide, according to a customer.
It seems that it is just the possible lack of toilet paper that terrifies Finns. And not only them, since similar images of people from other countries collecting toilet paper have been seen on social media throughout the day.