CORONAVIRUS: Worcester supermarket shelves left bare – but people told not to panic buy

When a Worcester News reporter visited three major supermarkets in the city yesterday, she found hand sanitiser, hand wash, pain medicine, Calpol and toilet tissue to be sold out or in short supply in Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's.

However, many of the shoppers we spoke to didn’t seem to be overly concerned about the Covid-19 virus.

Roger Rimell, 73, suffered a heart attack 13 years ago but, despite coronavirus being potentially fatal to people with underlying health conditions, he wasn't scared.

“People are panic buying, but I am not worried," he said. "I hope I don’t get it, but if I do we will just have to deal with it. The way things are going, I would say lots of people will catch it. It is just one of those things.”

Mum-of-two Terri Cooper, 35, said she wasn't panicking, just taking precautions.

“I always carry wet wipes and hand sanitiser because I have two young children," she said. "The coronavirus hasn’t made me panic, but I am a little more precautious in terms of making sure the girls' hands are clean before they eat and things."

She added: “I am a healthy young woman, so for myself I am not concerned – if I get ill, I get ill. But I am a little more worried about my elderly mother and of course my children.

“We are definitely not stockpiling and don’t believe there is much point in blowing this out of proportion. That being said, it is great to have the relevant information so we know how we can keep ourselves safe.”

The official advice to protect yourself from coronavirus is to wash your hands and take normal preventative measures, said Worcester MP Robin Walker.

“The simple thing to remember is not to panic," he said. "There is no need to panic buy or stockpile. Normal soap and water is enough to keep yourself safe.

“As things stand, containment is very much our focus. There have been tens of thousands of people tested in the UK and little more than over 100 have actually contracted the virus.

“I am sure people are concerned with the media coverage and such, and it is important to keep up to date, but we shouldn’t let this stop us from gong about our daily lives.”

Michelle Stevenson-James, 48, said she has struggled to find paracetamol in the shops, but is more concerned about having to cancel her upcoming holiday.

She said: “I am not worried or stockpiling, it has all been blown way out of proportion. It seems people start to panic buy and then everyone jumps on and it gets out of hand. As long as I have food in the house. I am not concerned at all. I am more affected by having to cancel our trip to Vienna. My husband and I were supposed to leave in two weeks but the holiday and flights have been cancelled."

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said:“Our members are working as hard as they can to ensure all consumers have access to the products they need. Even where there are challenges, retailers are well-versed in providing effective measures to keep retail sites running smoothly, and we are working with suppliers to ensure this continues. Retailers are taking necessary steps to meet the rise in demand for certain hygiene and long-life products.”