A brawl over toilet paper broke out in a supermarket in Australia on Saturday, amid panic over the coronavirus.
A video widely shared on the Internet shows three women pulling each other's hair, screaming and fighting over a large packet of toilet paper in a Sydney grocery shop.
One of the women shouted "I only want one parcel", while the other two protected a trolley filled with several parcels. Two members of staff intervened to break up the fight and the police were called.
Police attempt to calm the population
This and other brawls have prompted police to call for calm: "This isn't Mad Max," a NSW police official told reporters. "We don't need to be doing this."
"The New South Wales State Health Minister tweeted on Saturday, posting a photo of empty shop shelves. "Common sense would tell us that if some individuals didn't buy an excessive number of toilet rolls... there wouldn't be a problem."
Supermarket chains began rationing sales of toilet paper, assuring customers that there was no shortage. More than 70 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in Australia. One of the latest cases concerns a doctor in the state of Victoria, who recently returned from the United States. He treated around 70 patients, despite showing symptoms of the virus.
20 Minutes with agencies.
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