The confirmation of at least one Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) case has sparked panic buying across Georgetown, leaving a number of businesses completely out of stock of some essential disinfectants and cleaning supplies since Wednesday.
Even before the announcement that samples taken from the 52-year-old woman who had died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) had tested positive, thereby confirming the first case, persons had already begun panic buying.
And in many supermarkets and pharmacies in Georgetown yesterday, persons were seen buying cartloads of canned goods, toilet paper, tissue, rice and flour, among dozens of other products that they decided were essential. Many supermarkets reported that their stocks of disinfectants had vastly diminished and as a result, persons began purchasing anything that had traces of alcohol. Some reported that their stock of high wine had also sold out.
“As soon as I hear that it might get a case, I went and buy all them things wah them say to buy because me know that what happening all over this morning woulda happen. I hear lang now it (COVID-19) deh about but we never see it on the news, so we neva take it for nothing. So we buy everything wha we had to buy yesterday because I had a feeling it woulda be positive, you know,” Lisa Persaud, of Sophia, stated.
When asked what she had bought, she said food supplies, hand sanitizers, Lysol disinfectants, masks and cases of soaps.
She noted that prices were the same during the day but when she returned to the supermarket on Wednesday evening to pick up additional supplies, some of the prices of the items had doubled. “I still buy um because I gat to put my family first,” she said.
The manager of the Coss Cutter Supermarket said their stock of disinfectants was sold out on Wednesday night and while they were able to acquire some more, the shelves were stripped within minutes by consumers yesterday morning.
As a result, when Stabroek News visited the supermarket, the staff was making arrangements to restock. However, he said, they were not sure if they would be able to source new supplies because they were told that a lot of businesses had run short of the items, which has been putting a lot of pressure on the supplier.
Despite that setback, the manager noted that he was remaining hopeful and had been telling consumers that they would be fully restocked with disinfectants. After assuring them of that, he said, he was surprised when many customers offered to pay an advance for a number of the items.
He also pointed out that as soon as consumers were told that items like Lysol, Clorox wipes, Dettol and hand sanitizers were sold out, they started purchasing High Wine, which also sold out.
At DSL Cash & Carry, Stabroek News was told by an employee that since reports of a suspected case of COVID-19 in Guyana emerged, the sales of disinfectants had increased, which resulted in the business running completely out of stock on Wednesday.
Like at Coss Cutter, restocking was a problem because the suppliers are also out of stock and the items are in demand. A lot of business are trying to restock as well. He added that once the supplier doesn’t raise prices for those in-demand items, they will be sold as per normal.
“Why this had to happen now?” was the vocal lament of many shoppers as they jostled for space outside of the Beepats Supermarket on Regent Street yesterday morning.
‘This is just crazy’
When Stabroek News visited the location, there was a crowd at the entrance. An employee explained that the crowd had already gathered outside the building prior to the opening of the supermarket and as soon as the doors were opened it was overcrowded. “There was so much confusion because they practically stormed the place so we trying to do [it] in an orderly manner,” an employee said, while noting that the business had closed its doors and was letting in ten persons at a time.
Some made enquiries about rubbing alcohol, while others kept pushing each other and telling them to join the “line”.
“Y’all wah deh in that corner gah stay in dah corner. You know how long I deh standing here?” one woman asked.
“Look, look, we gah deh in one line. We can’t deh cluster up. We have to be in one line,” a man added. Arguments subsequently erupted among the crowd about who was in the line and which was the line until they saw the store’s porters carrying out cases of Lysol, hand sanitizer, rolls of tissues and other items to a nearby car. They shouted, “Y’all leff some for we poor people nah. Y’all leff some for we nah.” They once again began pushing against the store’s iron door, asking the security guards to let them in.
A shopper standing close by told Stabroek News that it had been “mayhem” in the store earlier. “I shop here all the time and I never see it so pack, not even at Christmas time,” she said before adding the she routinely shops on Fridays but because of the announcement on Wednesday night she decided to shop yesterday. She revealed that she had stockpiled for a month and had enough food to feed her family but was planning to buy more once shopping calmed down.
Panic buying aside, she said she was increasingly worried about the impact the disease would have on the country and before entering her car, she commented, “ I never thought that a thing like this would happen to Guyana, especially with what is going on.”
At Mike’s Pharmacy in Bel Air, measures were also put in place to restrict the number of persons in the building at one time. The security guard explained that it was a result of overcrowding in the store. “The building can only hold so many people at a time,” he said while adding persons were cooperating and were patiently waiting for their turn to go into the store.
“I’m stocking up because I don’t know what is going to happen. The government people ain’t saying nothing, so I don’t know what to do. Everywhere else you reading how government saying this or restricting travel and so on but here all they do is confirm someone died from the virus and they disappear. We know our system is not like all them big countries like England or the US, so we really need to what they will do. Do we send our children to school? Do we go to work?” Lillian George asked.
Another shopper, Darren David, said, “This is just crazy, I am scared to be out here shopping. They said avoid public spaces but look at what we doing.” He added that he had already disinfected his entire home but believed that he had taken the ultimate risk by shopping yesterday. “We all gotta eat, you know and we ain’t hearing nothing from the health people,” he stated.
Taking advantage
Meanwhile, shoppers complained that businesses were doubling and tripling their prices on the items in demand. Melvin James said, “I went to this supermarket and picked up a pack of tissue which had the price on for $600 and when I went to the cashier she said it was $3,000. I don’t know what I gon do because I get six children and we still got to eat. I barely work for lil money and it look like I gon buy a couple things and all my salary gon finish. They so selfish.”
Another, who was close to James but did not wish to be named, noted that persons were willing to take advantage of every situation. He said the government was encouraging it as it had remained silent since making the announcement to confirm the one case. “We on our own here. If it (COVID-19) spread, they gon disappear completely because they announce one and done gone,” he said. “See this hand sanitizer. See how it small? I buy it for $6,000 but I buy it for my son because he gat to go school,” he said.
In a statement yesterday, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) noted “unverified claims reported in the media” of businesses inflating the prices of necessities needed to combat the coronavirus disease. “The PSC does not condone any attempt to profit from the crisis threatening our country from the Coronavirus and condemns all attempts at doing so,” it said.
