PETALING JAYA: Unlike in Singapore and Hong Kong, toilet papers may not run out of supply at supermarkets in the country. However, panic buying for masks, disinfectant sprays and sanitisers has already happened at our departmental stores and pharmacies.
The outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus (2019-nCov) has triggered a rush for several essential items.
Since the first reported case of the Wuhan flu in the country, masks and hand sanitisers have flown off the shelves from pharmacists and drugstores nationwide.
Psychologist Dr Fauziah Mohd Sa’ad said this is more rampant in urban areas as residents are more aware of the risks posed by the virus and are bombarded with news and other unsubstantiated information on social media.
“As such urbanites feel it’s better to stockpile items such as masks, disinfectant sprays and sanitisers.”
Fauziah, a counsellor at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, said Malaysians are becoming more anxious about leaving their homes and visiting crowded places for fear of getting infected.
“They are getting anxious and are scared. Fewer people are visiting malls or cinemas. Quite a number of them are happy to stay at home.
“I’ve even counselled a group of people who are afraid of Chinese tourists, going to hotels, public places and it definitely does not help when we are running out of protective gear.”
Although three patients have recovered from the virus, she said the public seemed to only take notice of the increase in the number of cases in the country.
Dr Chua Sook Ning from Mental Health Malaysia said the panic among the public would only worsen if there is a perceived scarcity of resources.
In Singapore, some stores have limited the number of certain products that each person can buy. The aim is to ensure that everyone has enough. Stockpiling will defeat that purpose and give a false impression while raising anxiety, said Chua, who is currently in Singapore.
All NTUC Fairprice outlets in Singapore have limited each shopper to four packs of paper products, two bags of rice and four bundle packs of instant noodles. But Chua said it’s normal for people to descend on supermarkets to snap up essential items as that is human instinct, adding the “survival of the fittest” instinct is kicking in.
