'A matter of time:' Some Hamilton shoppers start stockpiling groceries as coronavirus spreads
Local stores say they haven't seen a spike in shopping, despite some locals saying supplies are running low
When Annabel Krupp stood in the Costco parking lot in Ancaster on Monday, she treated it like any other day — against the pleas from her "panicky" husband who has been monitoring the spread of COVID-19 every day.
"He's been reading all the news about the coronavirus every morning and telling me about it … he wants to stock up," she says.
"We're not stocking up now, but he might convince me, or I might just do it to make him happy."
The debate at the dinner table to buy extra groceries follows the announcements over the past few days of a number of new positive cases in Ontario. As of Tuesday morning, the provincial count of confirmed reports is 20 and the national total is 29.
As the virus and questions around it spreads, some aren't too concerned while other shoppers are hoarding items while they can, following the suggestion by Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu.
Maria Cino, 61, spent Monday stocking up on toilet paper and dried foods at Costco in case COVID-19 hits Hamilton.
"It's just a matter of time … things are running out, they're trying to replenish here," she says, as she tries to fit the four packs of paper towels, four packs of toilet paper and boxes of dried food.
"I never thought I'd see anything like this in my lifetime."
While Costco was not immediately available for comment, Mustard Seed Co-op tells CBC News they've had one customer looking to stock up on bottled water.
"We pay attention to things going around us … we'll be discussing plans [for the virus] tomorrow," Stacey Allen-Cillis, the store manager, says.
She expects canned goods, cooking ingredients and water to go quickly as panic grows about the virus.
The Fortinos stores on Dundurn Street and Main Street both tell CBC News they haven't seen any more activity than normal.
Angie Smith, 58, another Costco shopper and nurse at Credit Valley Hospital in Mississauga, says she's been buying more cold and flu medicine to hit the virus first if she feels symptoms, but hasn't been saving food.
Instead, she booked a cruise to Hawaii.
"You can't live in a hole, you've got to be realistic, you either live your life or quarantine yourself, who knows when this is going to be over," she says.
While more than 89,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported around the world and more than 3,000 have died, the virus is primarily dangerous to people with compromised immune systems and can be mitigated by hand-washing.
According to the U.S.-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others by air through coughing or sneezing, close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands, or by touching an object or surface contaminated with the virus, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Coronaviruses are a family of diseases that range from a common cold to more serious diseases such as SARS.
The Ministry of Health says as the numbers of infected people grow, it has started crafting its own plan to respond to what could become a pandemic.
"We have a model and a program that lays out different aspects of surveillance, analytics, logistics, communications and these are all manned by staff," Ontario chief medical officer Dr. David Williams says.
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With files from CBC News