Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.
Bottled water, batteries, and toilet paper: 2 experts share items that aren't necessary to stockpile amid coronavirus fears
Bottled water, batteries, and toilet paper: 2 experts share items that aren't necessary to stockpile amid coronavirus fears
Irene JiangMar 10, 2020, 21:17 IST
Duane Tanouye / ReutersExperts warn against going overboard to stockpile goods.
Coronavirus panic has led to shoppers stockpiling goods - but not all of these goods are necessary to have on hand.
Business Insider spoke with two experts to find out which wildly popular prepper items you don't need to stockpile, from toilet paper to hand sanitizer.
The main takeaway: don't go overboard. Most supplies only need to last the 14 days of a potential quarantine.
As coronavirus cases rise in countries including the United States, shoppers have scrambled to stockpile supplies, emptying store shelves of many goods. However, not all of the items that shoppers are frantically stockpiling are necessary, or even useful.
Business Insider spoke with two experts about what not to "panic buy" for a potential coronavirus quarantine.
Dr. Manisha Juthani is an associate professor of medicine of infectious diseases and epidemiology of microbial diseases at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Irwin Redlener is Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, where he is also a professor of health policy at the Mailman School of Public Health.
Advertisement
Here are five wildly popular items that shoppers have been stockpiling that aren't useful or necessary, according to these experts.
Toilet paper stockpiling has become widespread across the world. On March 7, three Australian women made the news for tussling over toilet paper in a Woolworths supermarket. But a cart of toilet paper is beyond overkill for the 14-day duration of a potential coronavirus quarantine.
"Having some supply of toilet paper in the house is worthwhile," Juthani said. "But stockpiling toilet paper is also not necessary."
Redlener was also baffled by the popularity of toilet paper as an emergency supply, saying, "There's nothing particular that I'm aware of that would make that a particularly difficult-to-acquire commodity."
Shoppers have been clearing grocery store shelves of bottled water. But loading up on bottled water isn't necessary, Juthani said.
"We are fortunate to live in a country where most tap water is drinkable," Juthani told Business Insider. "Based on what we know about this disease, the water system should not be threatened."
The coronavirus is unlikely to affect the availability of drinking water in the US. However, Redlener said that some people in areas with less readily available supplies should make sure they have a 14-day supply of water at home to last through a potential quarantine.
Although batteries are generally useful to have in many emergency situations, stockpiling batteries in case of a coronavirus quarantine isn't necessary. There's also a low likelihood that the outbreak will affect major infrastructural systems like water and electricity.
Redlener said that he isn't worried about the electrical grid.
"I doubt that we'd be in any kind of situation where electricity would be down," he siad.
However, Redlener said that a 14-day supply of batteries would still be useful for families with children who play with battery-powered toys.
Hand sanitizer can help in preventing infection, but clearing the shelves of it is beyond excessive. Juthani emphasized that while hand sanitizer can be useful, most containers of hand sanitizer last a long time.
"Good old-fashioned soap and water are good enough for hand hygiene," Juthani said. "Although hand sanitizer is convenient and easy to bring with you, I think stockpiling it is not necessary."
Redlener said that while hand sanitizer can be useful, panic buying has contributed to the item being sold out in many areas.
"You want to go out and purchase backup supplies for a potential quarantine in a measured and thoughtful way and not go rushing out and just going crazy," Redlener said.
In the case of quarantine, it's necessary to make sure you have a 14-day supply of food at home. Both Redlener and Juthani emphasized a measured and gradual approach to acquiring supplies, and to avoid going overboard.
However, Redlener says, many shoppers go overboard when purchasing food supplies, loading up on cases of tuna and peanut butter. And in some urban areas where grocery and food delivery is common, it may not be necessary at all.
"It depends on where you live," Redlener said. "Because in New York City, everybody can get prepared food and grocery delivered. But in cities and urban and rural areas where that's not possible, that'd be a different story."
