ZeroHedge ran a fascinating story today about panic buying in Italian stores:
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/store-shelves-empty-virus-spread-sparks-panic-buying-across-italy
It's not just food. As Bloomberg reports, in the tiny hamlet of Cassago Brianza, half way between Milan and Lake Como, Giovanni Casiraghi was taken aback to find a long line of customers waiting when he opened his industrial equipment store on Monday morning.
They all asked for the same thing: a mask typically used in building sites or factories.
In less than 30 minutes, he had sold more than 500 of them.
I’m assuming that most of the panic is occurring in northern Italy where the Covid-19 outbreak is, but that’s just an assumption. If it’s also happening in Rome and points south of there, we’ll probably see similar stories over the next few days.
Footage out of Milan shot yesterday shows some products almost or entirely out of stock.
If panic buying of supplies has not yet happened in your neighborhood, you might want to consider proactively beating the rush and stocking up now. Non-perishable food, water, over-the-counter medicines to treat flu-like symptoms, personal protective equipment — all of these and more.