Coronavirus Fears Lead to Brawl Inside Store Over Toilet Paper

Fears over the spread of coronavirus have led to shortages of everything from hand sanitizer to toilet paper, and now tensions are rising around the world.

A fight broke out at a store in Sydney, Australia, over toilet paper, leading to the arrests of two women. Police in New South Whales issued a statement Saturday, telling residents that "there is no need for people to go out and panic buy at supermarkets."

In California, cops were called to a Costco after a mass panic due to shortages of bottled water and toilet paper. Some stores have even begun limiting the number of items customers can purchase.

There have also been a growing number of xenophobic incidents across the U.S. related to the coronavirus outbreak. In NYC, a man was caught on video spraying Febreze at an Asian passenger on a Brooklyn train, leading authorities to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. In Florida, a woman was harassed at a gym by a man who believed she might have COVID-19 simply because she's of Asian descent.

Fears of the coronavirus are also turning neighbors against each other. A Utah woman who was quarantined after being on the Diamond Princess cruise ship received threats from neighbors telling her to stay away, despite multiple negative tests for the virus and a letter from the CDC stating she's no longer a threat to the public.

For more on the coronavirus outbreak, including facts vs. myths, check out the World Health Organization's myth busters explainer.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.


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