Two women have been charged after getting in a tussle over rolls of toilet paper as the coronavirus outbreak triggers fear and panic buying in Australia. The altercation has gone viral, and has been viewed millions of times online. Anxious shoppers have emptied shelves of household essentials, despite government pleas for calm.
A video shared on social media shows three women pushing, yelling and fighting over a shopping cart filled with toilet paper at a supermarket in Sydney.
Two women have been charged with getting in a physical altercation, and are due to appear in court next month.
New South Wales police Inspector Andrew New likened the altercation to the dystopian Australian movie, "Mad Max.”
“We just ask that people do not panic like this when they go out shopping. There is no need for it. It is not the Thunderdome, it is not Mad Max, we do not need to do that.”
Political leaders are also urging calm as the number of known COVID-19 infections in Australia increases. There are now more than 80 confirmed cases. So far, three people have died.
All passengers on the Ruby Princess cruise ship, which arrived in Sydney Sunday, had to undergo coronavirus testing but have been given the all-clear. A high school in Sydney has reopened after being closed last Friday when a student tested positive for the virus. Two students at another school have tested positive.
In early trading Monday, the Australian Securities Exchange was down more than 5%. The losses are among the worst since the start of the outbreak.
