Coronavirus: Police called to protect supermarkets and chemists in Ireland after panicked shoppers fight over trolleys
POLICE are being deployed to protect chemists and supermarkets after Ireland's coronavirus lockdown sent shoppers into mass panic.
Shop shelves as thousands of people flocked to supermarkets to stockpile supplies out of fears the country would be completely shut down.
Schools, colleges and offices will be closed and public events cancelled for more than two weeks from 6pm today, Ireland's leader Leo Varadkar announced yesterday.
Panicked shoppers fought over trolleys and left staff in tears following the announcement.
Photos emerged online of long queues and empty shelves as supermarkets such as Tesco, Supervalu, Dunnes, Lidl and Aldi sold out of basic supplies including toilet paper, bread and milk.
The panic purchasing was so intense that a number of Tesco stores across the capital were forced to stop people entering for periods.
SCHOOLS SHUTDOWN
In a bid to help ease pressure, Dublin’s top cop urged members of the Force to be sent out to ease fears and to facilitate the restocking of shops.
An email from police management reads: “With immediate effect, members would be deployed to patrol environs of supermarkets and chemists with a view of providing comfort and reassurance to communities and providers that officers will maintain under order and engage with members of the community to reduce any fears, while facilitating the resupply of shops.
“Members should be employed on overtime to facilitate this if necessary.
“All resources should be used to optimise and reassure communities by providing a uniformed presence on the streets."
IRELAND'S CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN
- Schools, colleges and childcare facilities in Ireland will close from 6pm today and will not reopen until March 29.
- Where possible, teaching will be done online or remotely.
- State-run cultural institutions will close
- Indoor gatherings of more than 100 people and outdoor meetings of more than 500 people should be cancelled
- Anyone entering Ireland through ports and airports will be informed of the measures and asked to self-isolate if they are displaying symptoms
- Public transport will continue to operate
- Shops will remain open
- Restaurants, cafes and other businesses can stay open but should look at ways to implement public health advice on social distancing
- Working from home will be encouraged but where people do congregate in offices break times should be "staggered"
- Meetings should be done remotely
- People should "seek to reduce social interactions as much as possible"
In the North-Western region, cops were also taking measures in response to the outbreak.
And they were told all non-essential meetings and non-essential public gatherings are to be banned while patrol cars and vehicles are to be cleaned with antibacterial materials before they were passed onto the next shift.
In the aftermath of the latest slew of measures, several ministers moved to calm virus fears and warned people that there was no need to stockpile goods as supply chains have been boosted in preparation for the lockdown.
Mr Varadkar has in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking to media in Washington DC he said: “There is no need for any panic buying or panic shopping.
Most read in news
"We have close co-operation with the retailers and retail organisations and they assure us that supply chains are strong and any shelves that are empty this evening will be filled again tomorrow so people don’t need to engage in any panic buying.
"It’s not necessary and that may create a problem in fact that doesn’t exist.
“This is a rapidly developing situation, it is a dynamic situation and we will make sure that the public are updated every day through our press conferences.”
