Panic surrounding the Coronavirus: a city council member photographs dozens of garbage bins full of fresh food gone to waste
Empty shelves in the supermarket is an image most of us are familiar with while panic surrounding the Coronavirus continues to spread. The pleas of government officials around the world, who implore their citizens to buy only what's necessary - and leave enough food and essential items for everyone else - have no impact on the situation. When people are driven by panic, they leave no room for thinking rationally.
Since food is essential for our survival, supermarkets are one of the only businesses that have remained open during government mandated lockdowns. Considering the panic these country-wide quarantines have caused, millions of people have reacted by emptying out supermarkets and then letting it go to waste. One city council member was so appalled by his townspeople's actions that he decided to document it and share it on his twitter page.
Ajit Singh Atwal, a city council member of Derby, England, couldn't believe his eyes as he walked down one of the streets in his neighborhood. He saw dozens of garbage bins full of loaves of bread, packages of meat, fresh fruit and all kinds of vegetables. It didn't make sense to him how people could be so selfish and thoughtless during a time when so many are struggling to buy food.
Letting such an enormous amount of food go to waste should never happen; letting it happen in a time where people are literally wondering when they're next meal might be is even worse. It's no surprise why so many people responded to Atwal's twitter post.
Thanks to Atwal's post, and to other individuals who have spoken out against people's panic buying, many supermarkets are planning on introducing extra safety measures and putting a limit on the number of products a person can buy at one time.
We hope that these extra measures will come into effect soon. As we've already seen, pleading with people doesn't seem to help. Perhaps, what's really missing from the equation is raising awareness about the impact people's panick buying has on those who really need those products. Maybe then people will think about others and less about themselves.
