Heartbreaking photo of elderly woman surrounded by empty shelves breaks internet

Ever since the COVID-19 outbreak, people all across the world have been stockpiling food items. The panic has now increased so much that it has resulted in chaotic scenes at supermarkets with arguments and fights breaking out as panic buyers rush to get their hands on certain goods, because of which, many supermarkets and stores have gone empty. This comes as the deadly COVID-19 has now spread to 157 countries and territories infecting over 1,70,185 and killing 6,525 people globally, international media reported. As the stockpiling of essentials shows no sign of slowing down, a heartbreaking photo of an elderly woman trying to locate food on an empty British supermarket shelf has gone viral.

Stockpiling of essentials

UK man Ben Green shared this startling photo on his Facebook page on March 13. He uploaded the picture with a caption advising people to think twice before they panic buy and wipe shelves clean of essential items, as per reports. “Before all us young(ish) healthy (ish) people go out and buy EVERYTHING in the shops, consider the people most at risk,” he wrote alongside the heartfelt image.

The image shows an elderly woman with a trolley in a supermarket surrounded by rows of empty shelves as she appears to grab whatever few items remain in boxes on a shelf. The post has garnered 52,000 likes and has attracted more than 9,000 comments. Netizens blasted the “selfish” mindset that has come with the coronavirus outbreak.

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One woman wrote, “This picture breaks my heart”.  Another person said, “Country full of selfish people out for themselves no thought for the sick people who need these on a daily basis”. While another commented, “Pictures worth a thousand words... shame on US!!”. People also took to Twitter after looking at this startling image.

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People have taken to social media to share shocking images of empty racks and shelves in shops and markets. Similar image also went viral of an elderly man who was forced to buy tissues as there was no toilet paper left on shelves. Meanwhile, The British government has advised people to refrain from stockpiling. However, many retail stores across Canada, US, Europe have gone out of stock. For this, several major stores have imposed restrictions on buying items including foods and soaps in a bid to prevent any further panic buying as people stock up over fears of coronavirus.

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