COVID-19 chaos: Hoarding is not helping
Published April 24, 2020 by Shane Kersh
Since the start of 2020, the world has been facing a health crisis, the likes of which it has not seen in over a century.Alongside the rising number of cases and deaths is the plummeting economy.Like so many organizations and businesses in the U.S., I certainly have felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am determined to do whatever it can to help, including releasing several informative blogs that can help educate readers living in the U.S.
For this blog, I want to look at a troubling habit people tend to do during times of crises – hoarding.
The reasons behind the hoarding of essential goods have mostly been constant throughout history.People anticipate that a crisis would either close down shops rendering them unable to acquire essential items.People also expect the spike in demand for such items, which means they have a chance to act out their opportunist fantasies by hoarding and driving up the prices exponentially.
Nowadays, Americans find that a lot of store shelves are empty, and this should, at the very least, alarm local governments.While there are establishments that ought to be commended, such as Target, for placing limits on the number of products people can purchase, customers still find ways of getting more than they actually need.
I echo what many health officials and experts believe – that hoarding may put those already vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus more at risk.
From hand sanitizers and bottled water to toilet paper, canned goods, and more, some of these items that have all but disappeared from local supermarkets have started to emerge online in resale sites with incredibly marked-up prices.
The problem here is the looming socio-economic imbalance since people of the lower-income class will not be able to purchase many of the essential items they need simply because they do not have enough budget.And lest everyone forget, many of these items protect people from infection.So, not only do those in the lower-income bracket face hunger and the absence of other essential things, but they also face higher chances of getting sick.
I think everyone should be reminded that the battle against the novel coronavirus is one that cannot be won by an individual or a household; it is a war that everyone is a part of.The lack of a concerted effort on the part of most people and the absence of a few individual's consideration for others will only make overcoming the crisis much more difficult.
Tags: COVID-19, coronavirus, hoarding
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Posted March 24, 2020 by Shane Kersh
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