Stockpiling goods is “unethical” and “un-Australian”, university professor says
Do you really need that tenth pack of pasta?
The last 24 hours has seen shoppers stock up on soap and toilet paper and panic-buy rice and pasta, but is it actually necessary?
For those who haven’t already squirrelled away a stash of extra goods, there’s absolutely no need, says Professor Marylouise McLaws, a renowned infectious-disease control expert from the University of New South Wales.
“It’s unreasonable and mischievous to suggest that people need to stockpile.”
One of the major problems, she says, is that you leave others in short supply.
“It’s very un-Australian and very unhelpful and really highly unethical.
“Those who live pay packet to pay packet and cannot afford to stockpile, they will be the ones to miss out. We need to stay calm and share resources.
“Unlike some other countries, most of our food can be supplied by Australia, along with toilet paper. If it got to a point where essentials were in limited supply the government would do sensible rationing, like they did in the war.”
Instead, we should be looking after each other, McLaws says.
“We need to consider more than just ourselves. It’s important to remember that it’s not just about one person or one family; it’s about the entire country.
“While we’re used to being very much individuals, when it comes to a disaster we need to work together. This means cooperating with the authorities, sharing resources and self-isolating where necessary.”
In a worst-case scenario, an infected person still has access to online grocery and food deliveries, she says.
“There are online services in place to deal with situations like this. You can also ask for help from family or neighbours, and if you’re too sick for that, you should probably be in hospital.”
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