Rare toilet paper like gold, maxi robbery in Hong Kong

It also happens that, in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic, toilet paper becomes as precious as gold and the rich booty of an armed robbery. It happened in Hong Kong, the latest episode of the collective psychosis of being left without basic necessities for fears that supplies may jump. The operation, according to what was explained by the police, saw a commando of three people who stole hundreds of rolls from a van that was delivering them to a supermarket in the Wellcome chain of Mong Kok, a popular district with a history of 'triads ', the Chinese mafia. The driver was arrested, threatened with knives and blocked.

"The robbers took away all the toilet paper worth more than 1,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 130 US dollars, ed)," said a police spokesman who later made two arrests after watching the footage of the surveillance cameras and recovered part of the spoils. These are highly sought after items in the former colony, despite the assurances of the local government on supplies protected from the effects of the epidemic. Supermarkets, however, are even having logistical and transportation problems as demand is strong. In addition to the rolls of paper, the inhabitants of the former British colony continue to stockpile rice, pasta, sanitary products (including plastic gloves) and for cleaning, while the long lines and quarrels are a few days ago for grab the surgeon's masks to avoid contagion in front of the pharmacies. Hong Kong has so far recorded 58 coronavirus cases, plus one dead, while continuing to have a severe mask shortage. The reaction is serving the experience of Sars in 2003, which left China and infected the former colony, killing 299 people.

On Sunday, the city's Consumer Council warned locals against avoiding the rush to buy toilet paper, at the risk of soon becoming unusable due to the humid climate. A recommendation that has fallen on deaf ears.