8:40 a.m.
Nocturnal hamster purchases in major Italian cities
The drastic measures against the spread of the new type of corona virus in Italy have led to nightly hamster purchases in Rome and Naples. In supermarkets that are also open at night, consumers stocked up on food and hygiene products, as Italian media reported on Tuesday night.
Accordingly, the customers waited in line in front of the markets, employees regulated the admission. A seller told Ansa news agency that apples, rusks, milk, sugar, flour, but also soap and disinfectants were sold out first.
The Italian government had declared the whole country a “protection zone” late Monday evening due to the spread of the corona virus. Unnecessary trips have been banned since Tuesday, and there is also a nationwide ban on meetings. Schools and universities remain closed.
However, the government made it clear on Monday evening that supermarkets should remain open and that supplies should be “regular”. People should therefore not panic and buy groceries “that can still be bought in the next few days,” it said.
Italy is the country most severely affected by the coronavirus epidemic in Europe. So far there have been more than 9,000 cases of infection and more than 460 people have died.
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