Coronavirus: No need to worry about food (or loo roll) shortages
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Loo roll has been a popular item for people to buy in bulk.
The government says there's no need to worry about food or loo roll shortages.
People are nervous that supermarkets will run out of supplies because of people buying lots of food in case they have to self-isolate due to coronavirus.
Most people who are diagnosed with the disease are told to self-quarantine for two weeks.
In case this happens, a lot of people are buying more items than they usually would, so they don't need to leave the house.
Lots of people in Hong Kong started stockpiling when coronavirus cases grew there.
You might have seen people sharing images of empty shelves in supermarkets.
#toiletpapergate and #toiletpapercrisis were even top trending topics in some countries.
But the government says this isn't something people need to worry about.
Matt Hancock is the health secretary, he's got an important job making sure the NHS is running properly and is able to handle things like the outbreak of coronavirus.
Matt Hancock is the health secretary, he said people shouldn't buy more than they need to
He said the government is "confident" food supplies won't run out and that people shouldn't buy more than they need.
He added: "We are working with the supermarkets to make sure that, if people are self-isolating, then we will be able to get the food and supplies that they need."
So that means that as well as food, stock of toilet roll won't be affected either!
The use of paper for hygiene was recorded in China in the 6th Century
Specifically made toilet paper was mass-produced as long ago as the 14th Century
Modern toilet paper originated in the 19th century, with a design for roll-based dispensers arriving in 1883
In many countries you do not flush the paper away after going to the toilet, it goes in the bin
More than seven billion rolls of toilet paper are sold each year in the US
Experts say that people notice toilet roll disappearing in particular because it comes in such big packs.
And there's only so many packets can be out at one time so the shelves look empty pretty quickly.
So it's more obvious if a few packs of toilet rolls disappear, compared to a few tins of beans.
But you do not need to worry. There's no need to ask your parents or carers to rush out and start stockpiling.
- Published27 August 2020
- Published5 May 2020
