With the recent spread of coronavirus and the illness it causes, known as COVID-19, we’ve seen people’s behavior go a little off-kilter. The internet is littered with memes, photos, and jokes poking fun at those who have been hoarding supplies. Toilet paper is probably the most laughable because it’s not actually necessary to weather any kind of coronavirus storm that is heading their way. But bleaches, hand sanitizers, and household cleansers are absolutely necessary for mitigating the spread of this virus, so when the shelves are devoid of these supplies, it becomes less of a laughing matter.
Rotunden is a supermarket in Denmark that recently experienced problems with this. Their customers were attempting to hoard supplies, namely hand sanitizer, so they came up with an ingenious plan: One bottle for the equivalent of about $6.30USD, and two for $155.00USD. (1)
A supermarket in Denmark got tired of people hoarding hand sanitizer, so came up with their own way of stopping it.
1 bottle kr40 (€5.50)
2 bottles kr1000 (€134.00) each bottle.Hoarding stopped!#COVID19 #coronavirus #Hoarding pic.twitter.com/qaJb7UZwLr
— 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙪𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙣 🕯️ 🇪🇺🇩🇰🇩🇪🇸🇬 (@_schuermann) March 15, 2020
Well, there’s definitely no problem with hoarding now!
Hoarding Is The Opposite Of What Should Happen
One of the harder things to watch as this crisis has unfolded is the obvious fear that people are experiencing. Uncertainty can make us do some pretty silly things, but the problem with this behavior is that it could be lethal.
First, in order for the “let’s all be cleaner and wash our hands more” plan to work, we all need to be cleaner and wash our hands more. If you buy up the entire soap aisle, then take it all home and stick it in your bathroom cupboard for safekeeping, no one else can buy any soap. So you’re washing your hands like we’ve all been instructed to, but your neighbor can’t do the same. They don’t have any soap. One day you take your clean hands out into the real world and run into your neighbor. She has an extra bagged salad that’s about to get tossed (we all have one), and you’re happy to take it off her hands. Now the virus is in your house anyway because your neighbor’s salad is tainted by her grubby hands.
Think this story is far-fetched? Think again. This is exactly how viruses spread – so don’t be part of the problem by hoarding.
Instead, Flatten The Curve
Think of “the curve” as a huge spike of some kind. A panic, a scramble. Flattening the curve involves isolation measures that keep the panic at something of a manageable level. (2)
Choosing to stay home and self-isolate is the best way for you to flatten the curve where cases of infection are concerned. The truth is that you may be infected and not know it. By treating it as business as usual, going out and hanging with your friends, you’d be causing a spike in cases… you’d be infecting people, spreading the panic.
Businesses that are not grocery stores and pharmacies might be able to flatten the curve by closing their doors. This is a tough one, even tougher than social distancing, because people’s paychecks are soon affected. The choice to close is not one to be taken lightly, but imagine how much they can flatten the curve. If it’s a good idea for you to distance yourself from fellow humans, you wouldn’t (shouldn’t) just invite everyone over to your place. Likewise, it’s a great idea for a business not to invite them over either.
Conscious Caring
Choosing not to hoard is another way of flattening the curve. The hoarding of supplies that are needed by the community creates a huge curve that could result in loss of life. That might seem dramatic to you, but consider the scarcity of proper face masks that is happening in the medical community right now. (3) When medical personnel cannot acquire the materials they need to do their job without injury, we all pay the price. If they’re not healthy, who will care for the unhealthy? The coronavirus epidemic has caused panic buying of multiple key items, and currently, those on the front lines are not as protected as they could be.
In this unprecedented time we are navigating together, truly one of the best things you can do is do as little as possible. Buy what you need, don’t make unnecessary trips outside your home, stay at least 6 feet away from your fellow humans, and disinfect everything that you bring back into your home. Protect everyone around you by protecting yourself, and by leaving enough for others to protect themselves too. There is enough for everyone, and we will get through this together. We may even come out the other side a little wiser, but first, we have to get smarter.
