Hong Kong police have arrested two men and are searching for a third after the group stole about 50 packs of toilet rolls(each pack containing 12), in a robbery likely sparked by coronavirus fears. The robbery most likely caused from heightened fears of supply shortages in Hong Kong as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread. Formally known as Covid-19, coronavirus has infected more than 71,000 people globally, with 57 confirmed cases in Hong Kong. In an attempt to limit the virus, Hong Kong's government announced it would close some borders with mainland China -- causing rumors that supply chains from China would be cut off. Unsurprisingly, residents rushed to supermarkets to stock up on supposedly endangered goods such as toilet paper rolls, rice, hand sanitizer, and other cleaning products. CNN spoke with Wellcome, a major supermarket chain, along with other major suppliers that denied any rumors of supply shortages. To prevent further panic buying, Wellcome - along with other supermarkets - have implemented limits on how many units of an item shoppers can buy at a time.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/17/asia/hong-kong-toilet-roll-robbery-intl-hnk-scli/index.html
1. How has the virus in mainland China and Hong Kong impacted the economy and stock market?
2. If you lived in China right now with its current situation, would you have stolen 600 rolls of toilet paper?
The virus has definitely hurt the Chinese and Hong Kong economy. Because of all the shut downs in major cities in China, the economy will have gone down. People are becoming more and more desperate and scared because of fake news and exaggerations. According to this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/18/opinion/coronavirus-china-numbers.html, mass hysteria has taken over people because of news headlines and rumors. People always assume the worse and never actually look at the numbers themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe virus has impacted China and many other people from different countries in a negative way. If I lived in China right now, I would not have taken the risk of stealing 600 rolls of toilet paper. I could see myself stealing food and other materials, but I wouldn't steal toilet paper, which is not necessary for life. It must be very scary living in an area with the coronavirus, knowing that you have a chance of receiving it. In order for supermarkets to not lose money from shoplifters, they should not implement limits on the amount of ites shoppers can buy. I would let everyone buy whatever they want, as long as they could pay.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in China, I wouldn't just steal 600 rolls of paper, I would probably take other things along with some toilet paper. It would mostly be food, cleaning supplies, and bottled water. Mainly prepackaged food, bottled water, and cleaning/sanitary supplies like soap. Toilet paper would be a if there is time to grab it then go. The economy has gone down though from major cities being shut down. People have begun panicking about the rumors.
ReplyDeleteI feel that basically all travel to China has virtually been halted due the virus. People are absolutely terrified of the thought that they have a possibly of catching. In my personal opinion, I would have stolen maybe something more necessary to my well being, for instance, food and water. But maybe they an unknown that is perfectly logical, we may never know.
ReplyDeleteI believe that many people in China are very worried about catching the virus. Since they have limits on how many items people can purchase, people are stealing because they are worried that there will not be enough left for them. I think the limits are good because everyone will have a chance to get the items they need, but the supermarkets are losing money due to shoplifters.
ReplyDeleteIf I was in China, I would not waste my time stealing 600 rolls of toilet paper. Instead, I would grab all my belongings, jump ship and leave as far away as possible. Yes, I know that they quarantine people in China and most planes are forbidden to leave China, however I am willing to do anything to save my life. Therefore, I understand the panic the thieves had undergo. Stealing 600 rolls of toilet paper...ehhhh...but I get it.
ReplyDeleteThe coronavirus has greatly impacted people's views of China, and along with quarantines and limits on traveling, it makes sense that China's economy will be affected negatively. If I lived in China, I would not have stolen 600 rolls of toilet paper. However, I can see why someone would, because the media has been exaggerating the threat, causing panic. This panic can cause irrational behaviors and made these people believe that they needed to stock up on necessities.
ReplyDeleteThe coronavirus (Covid-19) has impacted the economy primarily since factories are being shut down due to the quarantines and fear of being infected. While I sympathize with these people that steal toilet paper out of pure desperation, I personally would not have stolen 600 rolls of toilet paper. But I do think to myself, why toilet paper? And then I realize that while they are taking measures to avoid contamination, they are facing a shortage of necessary supplies. With factories halting production and flight restrictions, there's bound to be a point where these supplies run dry. The fear of this motivates these people to steal products such as toilet paper and other necessities.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteYes I would steal the toleit paper he who controls the toleit paper controls the world.
ReplyDeleteI think I would because at this point it is kind of an every man for himself type of mentality. I would be concerned about the disease but also how there will be shortages of food if I don't stock up now.
ReplyDeleteI think that Hong Kong citizens have the right to be worried about the corona virus, especially since they border China, which is where it originated from. However, the people that die from it are usually senior people who have weaker immune systems. I think the robbers overreacted, but they might've been at a stage of panic and fear. I think Hong Kong's government reacted correctly, closing off supply chains to reduce the amount of the virus spread.
ReplyDeleteWhile I personally would not have stolen toilet paper rolls, I understand where the panic might come from, as information about the virus is limited and rumors of supply shortages from a virus that is affecting the place where you live might drive people to do crazy things out of desperation. Especially when they might not be thinking clearly as their main focus would be for survival, and while I think that toilet paper would be less of a concern than food or other resources, I think that toiletries would be very low of the list necessary items if a shortage were to happen. This also could just have been because the situation there currently is very far from ideal, and people might not trust the government to always give them the truth.
ReplyDeleteIf I lived in China right now with its current situation, I would not have stolen 600 rolls of toilet paper. Instead, I would have stolen a much wider variety of useful supplies, such as medications (like antibiotics), water purifiers, clean water, canned food, radios, soap, and toiletries. Toilet paper would also be useful, but probably not 600 rolls useful. Overall, the most important thing would be access to clean water, so I'd probably go for the water purifiers or water jugs first.
ReplyDeleteCovid-19, which is now quickly spreading worldwide, has had major impacts on the world's economy as a whole. The stock market is dropping by large amounts day after day, as international trade and tourism. Nearly all industries are being impacted in one way or another by the outbreak, which is what is leading to mass panic, especially in China, the center of the epidemic. Personally, I understand why these people did what they did, and honestly believe most people would have done the same if they were in the same situation, unsure of whether or not resources would be readily available in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteIt is unlikely that countries will ever be stricken by a resource shortage, but if fear-mongering and irrationality lead to the mass hoarding of supplies like toilet paper, masks, or hand sanitizer, then those who have the facilities to purchase mass amounts will do so, leaving behind none for those who may be in dire need of these supplies. This exacerbates the situation for everyone, leading to disaster.
ReplyDelete