The corona pandemic is noticeably worsening and the first reports of hamster purchases are already making the rounds. How pointless are these?
The Corona crisis is worsening dramatically and there are already the first reports of hamster purchases in Germany. According to a report by the "Wirtschaftswoche", Aldi Süd recorded an increased demand for toilet paper, pasta and flour. Bottlenecks have also been reported in border regions with France. Again, toilet paper was on people's shopping list, but also tobacco products. Background: Many French buy cheaper cigarettes in Germany in order to avoid a possible lockdown or border closings.
But is all the fuss really necessary and appropriate? Aldi competitor Lidl also confirmed an increased demand for hygiene articles, but they are "well prepared" and could supply all branches with sufficient goods. Aldi also announced that it could react to fluctuations in demand in such a way that there would be no delivery bottlenecks. There is "no reason" to buy hamsters.
The head of the Federal Chancellery, Helge Braun (47, CDU), said on Friday in the "ntv early start" that no one should worry: "The supply in retail is guaranteed." Normal shopping behavior is perfectly fine, even if he assesses the corona situation as "significantly more serious" than in spring. Don't expect the numbers to decrease tomorrow. Too little is being done to keep the infections under control. A lockdown is "not needed now".