US supermarkets hit by scarce supplies, long lines amid coronavirus concerns

Anger and fear mount in the US as Americans who flock to supermarkets in panic-buying mode face bare shelves and long lines even in areas without any known coronavirus cases.

The United States confirmed its 11th coronavirus death on Wednesday, sparking fears of a broader outbreak that prompted Americans to descend on their local supermarket, pharmacy and warehouse. 

US media said disinfectants, toilet paper, bottled water and nonperishable foods were flying off store shelves across the country.

US retail giant Home Depot says it is limiting customers to 10 face masks per person. A Target store in Colma, California sold out of bottled water. A US bulk-buy retailer Costco in San Francisco was out of Clorox wipes. Amazon is warning shoppers that availability may be limited on its Prime Now grocery-delivery service. Amazon also said it is cracking down on third-party vendors that are trying to profit from the frenzy.

Social media users shared images of long lines, crowded stores, signs warning of low or nonexistent inventories, and empty shelves at supermarkets and big-box stores across the US as Americans were stocking up on food, water and medicines amid rising coronavirus death toll.

 “Everything is on back order,” said a pharmacy owner in Manhattan, New York. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

A Twitter user shared an image of long lines at a Costco north of Seattle, where the first deaths reported.

In California, one Costco store saw more than 500 customers within the first 30 minutes of the store opening.

A social media user in Northern California said a San Francisco store sold out of bottled water and toilet paper within a few hours.

Another Twitter user shared images of empty shelves, refrigeration units and long lines at a Costco in San Francisco’s Bay Area, saying, “People are seriously freaking out about the coronavirus.”

The coronavirus, dubbed COVID-19, emerged in December in China and has now spread to more than 78 countries.

Sales of medical masks have risen 78 percent in the US in the most recent week. Also spiking are sales of hand sanitizer (up 54 percent), thermometers (34 percent) and disinfectant sprays (19 percent), according to Nielsen, a data tracking firm. 

Meanwhile, US media said President Donald Trump’s playing down of the coronavirus crisis at a news conference days ago underscored the administration’s “slapdash and often misleading attempts to contain not just the virus, but also potential political damage from the outbreak.”

As of Wednesday, at least 11 people have died of the viral infection in the US, all but one of them in Washington State. The other death occurred in California, where a state of emergency was declared to fight the relentless spread of the pneumonia-like virus.

More than 130 people have also been infected across the country, with the virus detected in more than a dozen states.

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