Fears over the coronavirus have taken a huge toll on logistical chains for consumer products in the United States, especially for face masks, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, water, medication, and yes, even toilet paper.
Reports of major retailers and local stores across the country with empty shelves have circulated on social media, causing panic and widespread hoarding of these products — further exasperating an already taxed logistical train.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this month that the spread of the virus was inevitable, noting "it's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, stated at a press briefing.
The American Red Cross issued a statement last week advising residents on ways to "be ready for any emergency" and "prepare in case this new coronavirus risk level increases in the U.S."
"Have a supply of food staples and household supplies like laundry detergent and bathroom items, and diapers if you have small children," the organization said.
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"Check to make sure you have at least a 30-day supply of your prescription medications, and have other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins," it added.
Shoppers in Dickinson appear equally concerned with continued access to commodities, resulting in multiple local retailers struggling to keep shelves stocked with toilet paper.
“It’s gotten out of control,” Darla Messer, a Dickinson resident purchasing one of the last rolls of toilet paper available at the Family Dollar on Villard Street, said. “Every election year there’s some kind of virus, pandemic, gas shortage or other scare that gets everyone riled up. This is just dumb.”
The Press visited local retail stores in town and confirmed that toilet paper, hand sanitizer and even painter’s masks have become somewhat sparse commodities in the city. Shelves at Cashwise appeared well stocked with toilet paper, one of the few such stores in town.
Calvin Halvorson told The Press that he briefly considered buying napkins after searching all morning for toilet paper without luck.
“My wife asked me to pick up toilet paper with all the news about the virus and what not, and I had to search all over town to find it...you imagine that? Toilet paper!” he said.
The deadly coronavirus, which was first identified in Wuhan city in the Hubei province of China, has infected more than 121,500 people globally, with 1,050 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 illness in the United States, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.
North Dakota officials confirmed that no cases have been documented in the state, though the North Dakota Emergency Commission on Tuesday unanimously voted to accept up to $6 million in federal funds from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help mitigate and contain the spread of COVID-19.
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The Press attempted to reach Walmart for comment concerning the lack of toilet paper, but were unsuccessful.
