Panic buyers ‘should be ashamed’ medical expert urges as stockpiling continues and shelves are bare

The Canary


Virus crisis panic buyers were told they “should be ashamed” for causing needless shortages for NHS staff as the retail industry insisted there was enough food for everyone and the government ruled out rationing.

Environment secretary George Eustice claimed there was no shortage of food in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, with manufacturers having increased production by 50%.

At the daily Downing Street press conference, NHS England national medical director Stephen Powis said the country should be ashamed that key medical staff were left unable to buy food at the end of their shifts.

Eustice said that people buying more than they needed meant key NHS workers fighting the disease were faced with empty shelves when they tried to shop.

He said the message to the public was: “Be responsible when you shop and think of others.

Related articles

“Buying more than you need means others may be left without. We all have a role to play in ensuring we all come through this together.”

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said there was “plenty of food” in the supply chain.

“The issue is around people and lorries, so getting that food right into the front line onto our shelves, which is why we’ve seen some shortages,” she said.

“There is a billion pounds’ more food in people’s houses than there was three weeks ago, so we should make sure we eat some of it.”

Powis referred to a video posted online by a critical care nurse in tears after she was unable to find anything to buy to eat at the end of her shift.

Many older people have also been unable to buy basic food items:

“Frankly we should all be ashamed that that has to happen. It is unacceptable. These are the very people we will all need to look after perhaps us or our loved ones in the weeks,” Powis said.

“It is critical that by not stockpiling, by not selfishly shopping, that our health workers are able to get access to what they need too.”

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us
  • Show Comments

    1. While it’s right what they say they’ve got a damn nerve saying it after spending the last forty years telling us we’re all on our own, there’s no such thing as society, it’s the survival of the fittest etc etc.

      The only people with the moral right to give this message are the likes of Jeremy Corbyn, George Galloway and others who have always spoken about social values. The reason Tory and business leaders are saying it is because it’s expected, but I’ve been thinking it’s likely they were informed well before us, and where US politicians who were forewarned went insider trading and sold stocks, I reckon our own leaders in the know were telling family and friends to stock up–meaning they were the first ones panic buying.

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.

Related articles