Amid the COVID-19 scare, with talks of possible lockdowns in many places and lockdowns already implemented in some, people flocked to malls and grocery stores to buy as many stuff as their money could buy. But many were hoarding groceries.
Hoarding Groceries
What’s sad is that there were so many people who hoarded lots of things they considered as basic necessities and essentials to last them for so many weeks that there were very few items left for others in need.
A photo of an old woman looking through empty shelves at a grocery store broke hearts, especially because everyone knows that she is not the only one going through the same problem. Taken in Ireland, the picture was shared by a 27-year-old man who was also shopping at the same grocery store when he noticed the old woman checking out what’s left on the shelves.
In the picture, it seems that even the school supplies have been hoarded as she appears to be in the school and office supplies section. The lockdown in Ireland led to many empty supermarket shelves. But while grocery store owners are certainly rejoicing that they have sold out most of their stuff, many were left with no food and necessities because others hoarded what they could get their hands on.
On Twitter, Andrew Kiely shared the heartbreaking photo of the old lady.
“This tells a thousand words! Relax with the panic shopping folks, I’m 27 and was stood in a queue for ages today. This woman is elderly and probably queued for ages also unnecessarily! Help out those who are vulnerable and don’t be so selfish! #Covid_19 #IrelandLockdown,” he wrote.
What is a Lockdown?
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of places have been placed on lockdown. But what is lockdown? Simply put, a lockdown is an emergency protocol that prevents people from leaving or entering an area, for safety and security purposes.
Across the world, government-imposed lockdowns have been imposed in many places, including ‘ground zero’ in Wuhan, China, as well as Italy and Ireland.