Who is Hoarding the Toilet Paper?

Don’t get me wrong. I am strongly on the side that says we should take all the health precautions we can right now. It is not about stopping the virus, it is about “flattening” the curve so our medical folks can keep up and give everyone the treatment they need. If you are unlucky and get the virus, do you want to be treated in a hospital, or in a makeshift tent in the parking lot?

So where was I going before I got on the soapbox – which reminds me – wash your hands!!! Oops, sidetracked again. The question I want to ask is, why in the Heck are people hoarding toilet paper? Is it just because the news keeps showing empty TP shelves and people fighting over the last roll? So we all think we need to hoard toilet paper???

I don’t recall TP being the first item to run off the shelves when we used to prep for hurricanes in Florida (vodka was more likely to be in short supply).

As of this morning, there were 3 cases of Coronavirus announced in Maine – and this number was since revised down to 2. So why, when I went to the grocery store, was all the damn TP gone???

The other items soon to be in short supply were beans, flour, sugar. There was still quite a bit of bottled water, although the cheap stuff was going quickly. I kind of see why stuff like beans would go – it is one of the recommended foodstuffs you should have on hand for an emergency. There were lots of vegetables and fruits, and still lots of cookies and wine. This makes me think people were just falling into the social media hype about TP.

Fingers crossed and hoping we will be spared from a severe outbreak of the virus. We are doing our part by cancelling out of state travel and practicing social distancing (not all that difficult in the Maine woods). Of major concern is the economic impact on small and large businesses. Laurie sent this photo – a friend of her sister’s was on a plane loaded for takeoff from LA to Paris on Tuesday. This brings home the economic impact. On the positive side, it also shows how many people are taking the pandemic seriously.

Be safe, friends and family. We will get through this!