In Lopburi, Thailand hundreds of monkeys who are usually fed by tourists swarmed the streets fighting for scraps of food following the Covid-19 Pandemic, which kept tourists away. On a normal day in the city, hundreds of tourists would feed the monkeys but after the outbreak of the virus, tourists have stayed away leaving the monkeys to fend for themselves. The virus outbreak had sparked a 44% decrease in tourism in the country.
In America, people have been swarming the supermarkets to hoard toilet paper and also getting in fights. In Central Florida, we are familiar with the human desire to hoard supplies before a natural disaster like a hurricane. There seems to be a special angst among humans about not having enough toilet paper. Toilet paper has a primal and infantile association for people. Some research has shown that the virus has been present in stool samples. It is therefore prudent to always wash your hands when leaving the bathroom.
For the first few months of the outbreak, President Donald Trump assured people that Covid-19 would pass by like a miracle with very few cases. Many were reassured by this gas lighting, while ignoring the scientific community who had a very different outlook. Suddenly the news changed and people were told to stock up in supplies for an unknown period of time. Just like mixed messages resulted in a rush at the airports, the mixed messages resulted in a rush on supermarkets. Because the administration dragged its feet on a response to the pandemic, people have no faith that supplies will be restocked. With no leadership, people are left to fend for themselves, and fear the worst because they hear only lies from the president.
As anxiety rises, gun sales are also skyrocketing. In the past few days, the number of background checks in Florida has
gone through the roof. The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a run on gun
shops. Saturday’s (March 14, 2020) total of more than 6,200 checks was 74 percent higher than
the average Saturday, and the single busiest March day since 2012,
according to the data provided. Ammunition is also becoming harder to find. When people get scared, they just want to feel the warm comfort of a gun in their hands.
