Second wipe: Panic buying of toilet paper in COVID-19 hot spots flares again as Victorians fearful of a new lockdown strip supermarkets of dunny rolls
- Victoria has recorded a double digit increase in COVID-19 cases now for a week
- Reports some smaller supermarkets have already been decimated of supplies
- Large stock piles of toilet paper across Melbourne are being snapped-up
- Word quickly spread on talk back radio that panic buying was back on
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Panic buying of toilet paper in COVID-19 hot spots across Victoria has ramped-up amid fears of another looming lockdown.
Daily Mail Australia observed people in COVID hot spots of Brimbank and Hume, in Melbourne’s west, stocking up on products, with reports some smaller supermarkets had already been stripped.
Victoria has recorded a double significant rises in coronavirus cases for the seventh day running, with 17 new cases confirmed on Tuesday.
A shopper at Brimbank Shopping Centre on Tuesday leaves with a large supply of toilet paper
Panic buying in March went through the roof as Australians stripped the shops of ordinary household products such as toilet paper and flour
While supplies at several of the larger Coles and Woolworths shops visited by Daily Mail Australia still had healthy supplies, there were strong signs the situation was about to get worse.
Many shoppers could be seen walking out with gigantic packages of toilet paper containing up to 36 rolls each.
One Brimbank resident told Daily Mail Australia he had heard about people stockpiling again on morning radio and had come down to the shops to grab some rolls before they vanished.
‘I’m not getting caught out again,’ the man said.
The man could later be heard calling family members telling them to stock-up as soon as possible.
Word quickly spread throughout the outer suburbs, with worried shoppers hitting supermarkets as far out as Hoppers Crossing and Werribee – in the outer west.
On Tuesday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said authorities expected to provide more information about COVID cases as information was confirmed.
‘There will be some significant community transmission within those numbers,’ Mr Andrews said. ‘This is still with us. This is not over.’
Victorians were among the first to go completely loopy when news of likely COVID-19 restrictions came about in March.
Some profiteering toilet hoarders quickly took to social media where they attempted to flog-off their booty at insanely inflated prices.
Supermarkets were forced to close down to try and re-stock supplies.
Shoppers at Broadmeadows, in Melbourne’s west, stock up on essentials on Tuesday
People were forced to line-up to buy toilet paper in March.
Back then, the prime minister was forced to address the nation and tell selfish Australians to ‘stop it’.
It was only last week that Victorian shoppers observed supermarkets were jam packed with toilet paper, with some reducing prices to as little as $1.50 for four rolls.
Mr Andrews confirmed on Tuesday that two more Victorian schools had been shut down due to COVID-19 cases.
Both are in areas which have been declared coronavirus hot spots.
It remains to be seen if ordinary staples such as flour, rice and pasta will fly off the shelves too.
While the March panic buying began with toilet paper, it quickly escalated to the point where elderly Australians were forced to shop at designated times just so they could buy food.