End Times

Uncertainty caused a wave of stockpiling. Goods in many supermarkets ran out: pasta in Italy, long-life milk in Israel and toilet paper in Australia, Japan, Germany, the United States and Britain. Toilet paper hoarding triggered fistfights and, in Hong Kong, an armed robbery. One Australian store reportedly sold 192,000 rolls in just 30 minutes. While some people had a year’s worth of supply, many were left trawling from shop to shop for just one elusive roll.