This reminds me of that Wayne Wang movie - Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1989)


Coronavirus: Chinese toilet paper makers say there’s ‘plenty of stock’ after panic buying in Hong Kong
Mainland manufacturers say supply hasn’t been affected and there hasn’t been a noticeable increase in orders from over the border
Researcher says city’s supply is ‘never a problem’ and stockpiling was driven by fear
SCMP
Guo Rui and Mandy Zuo in Shanghai
Published: 10:26pm, 19 Feb, 2020


A shopper stocks up on toilet rolls at a supermarket in Hong Kong on February 5 amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak. Photo: Nora Tam

Guangzhou lawyer Ding Yaqing just could not understand it when she saw images of people panic buying toilet paper over the border in Hong Kong because of the coronavirus outbreak.
“I saw [on the news] that Hong Kong people are stockpiling toilet paper,” Ding said. “But why? How could Hong Kong ever run out?”
In Haizhu district where Ding lives, the supermarkets and convenience stores are well stocked with the bathroom necessity, and there are fewer shoppers around because of measures to control the spread of the deadly virus.
For Ding, who has been working from home like many people in mainland China and Hong Kong amid the outbreak, running out of toilet paper is not a concern – she can buy it online.
“I can always order it online and my understanding is that many manufacturers have resumed production, so there is really nothing to worry about,” she said, referring to the extended break after the Lunar New Year holiday because of the epidemic.


Hongkongers have been panic buying toilet paper in recent weeks. Photo: Reuters

Toilet paper has become a highly sought after item in Hong Kong in recent weeks, with shoppers emptying supermarket shelves of the product and stockpiling tissues, disinfectant and liquid hand soap as the city braces for more cases of the virus.
The new coronavirus strain, which causes a disease now known as Covid-19, has killed more than 2,000 people and infected over 74,000, since the outbreak began in December. In Hong Kong, 63 cases have been reported and two people have died from the pneumonia-like illness.
The panic buying was apparently driven by a fear that Hong Kong would close its border with Shenzhen, disrupting the supply of daily necessities like toilet paper as mainland China struggles to control the outbreak.


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