Tragic moment a pensioner is forced to buy tissues after shelves were stripped bare of toilet paper amid coronavirus panic - but a shopper's kind gesture will melt your heart

  • A shopper has taken a picture of an elderly man struggling to buy toilet paper 
  • The pensioner was looking at the bare shelves at a Coles supermarket in Perth
  • 'This absolutely broke my heart seeing this old man grabbing tissues,' she wrote
  • Supermarkets have been void of toilet paper amid anxiety about coronavirus

This is the tragic moment an elderly man reached for a box of tissues after shoppers depleted a supermarket of toilet paper amid coronavirus panic.

The pensioner was photographed staring at empty shelves in a Coles supermarket in Perth on Thursday, after attempting to buy toilet paper.

Posting the heartbreaking image on Facebook local woman Justine Bowers poured scorn on panic buyers.

'This absolutely broke my heart seeing this old man grabbing tissues because there was no toilet paper left,' she wrote.

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The pensioner was pictured among the empty shelves at a Coles supermarket in Perth on Thursday, where he attempted to buy toilet paper

The pensioner was pictured among the empty shelves at a Coles supermarket in Perth on Thursday, where he attempted to buy toilet paper

Ms Bowers said she offered the man the 'very few toilet rolls' she had as she couldn't bring herself to see him go without. 

'Pull your f***ing head in people and stop panic buying toilet paper,' she wrote.

'Shame on all the people who have been buying in bulk because it's affecting so many people who aren't fortunate enough to do so.

'A picture says a thousand words.'

The heartbreaking picture has been shared more than 17,000 times, as supermarket shelves continue to be emptied.

Supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths were forced to introduce a four-pack limit on toilet paper earlier this week after anxious shoppers rushed to stockpile on items.

Shelves have also been void of pasta, rice, tinned and painkillers amid the panic.

On Thursday, Woolworths announced it was imposing buying restrictions on rice after it earlier introduced limits on hand sanitiser and toilet tissue. 

Supermarkets across Australia are facing shortages on food and other goods as panic-buying chaos sweeps the country. Pictured: A man looks for toilet paper at a Melbourne Woolworths

Supermarkets across Australia are facing shortages on food and other goods as panic-buying chaos sweeps the country. Pictured: A man looks for toilet paper at a Melbourne Woolworths 

Viewers of Ms Bowers post declared stockpiling shoppers to be 'selfish' as not every resident can afford to bulk buy their groceries. 

'Everyone being so f***ing selfish like usual and what about the elderly that can’t afford to stockpile on their pensions? Oh yeah they go without,' one person commented on the picture.

'Sadly this just doesn't affect the elderly. It's also the families/people who live week by week, who cant afford to bulk buy,' wrote another.

Ms Bowers was also praised for her small yet generous offer. 

'This made me cry, I still am. Thank you for being so kind,' one wrote.  

'This is so sad to see and really gets me p***ed off. Glad there are still some kind considerate souls out there who still think of others,' said another.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison urged Australians to stay calm amid the spread of the disease and consulted with Woolworths and Coles about the virus' impact on supply chains and consumer behaviour.

The bizarre toilet paper crisis made headlines around the world on Wednesday as anxious shoppers fought to buy up as many rolls as possible in preparation for a potential pandemic.

Woolworth staff members unpack fresh delivery of toilet paper as shelves run dry

Woolworth staff members unpack fresh delivery of toilet paper as shelves run dry

People were photographed piling trolleys high with huge multi-packs and one woman allegedly 'pulled a knife' on another shopper in a row over toilet paper.

The panic buying prompted Kleenex to reassure customers on social media.

'Australia, don't panic!' the post read.

'We are working around the clock at our mill in South Australia to keep the supermarket shelves stocked with Kleenex Complete Clean toilet paper.

'As you can see, we won't be running out any time soon,' it said, sharing a photo of the Kleenex warehouse piled high with columns of toilet paper.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday said there were no issues with toilet paper supply in NSW and urged the public to refrain from bulk-buying.

'People should just go about their daily business in terms of the products they purchase and I don't see a need to do that (bulk buy) at this stage,' she said.

At least 62 people in Australia are confirmed to have fallen ill with the deadly respiratory illness. 

In NSW, a Year 11 Sydney student is the latest person to test positive for the virus. Epping Boys high School was shut on Friday and staff and students have been advised to self-quarantine at home.

The death of an elderly NSW woman in an aged care facility has also meant 17 children had to be tested after they visited the Dorothy Henderson Lodge at Sydney's Macquarie Park.

James Kwan, 75, was the first Australian to die of the virus, after contracting it on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was forced to dock off the coast of Japan.

Worldwide, the coronavirus has spread to 80 countries, with 95,000 confirmed cases and 3,250 deaths. 

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA CLIMB TO 63

NEW SOUTH WALES: 28

January 25 

Three men aged 43, 53, and 35 who had recently travelled to China contracted the disease.

Two flew in from Wuhan while the other arrived in Sydney from Shenzhen, south China.

They were treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital. 

January 27  

A 21-year-old woman is identified as the fourth person to test positive for the illness in NSW.

The woman, a student at UNSW, flew into Sydney International Airport on flight MU749 on January 23 and presented to the emergency department 24 hours later after developing flu-like symptoms.

March 1 

A man in his 40s is confirmed as the fifth coronavirus case in the state and a woman in her 50s as the sixth. Both returned to Sydney from Iran. 

March 2 

The 41-year-old sister of a man who had returned from Iran with the disease was one of three confirmed cases. The second locally-acquired case was a 53-year-old male health worker who hadn't travelled for many months.

The other new case is a 31-year-old man who flew into Sydney on Saturday from Iran and developed symptoms 24 hours later.

March 3

Six more cases are confirmed in NSW. They included a 39-year-old man who had flown in from Iran and a 53-year-old man who arrived from Singapore last Friday.

It also included two women aged in their 60s who arrived in Sydney from South Korea and Japan respectively.

A man in his 30s who returned from Malaysia to Sydney on Malindo Air flight OD171 on March 1 was also one of the six.

A 50-year-old carer was the final of the day's six people diagnosed with coronavirus. The woman is a carer at a nursing home in Macquarie Park in Sydney's north. She had not been overseas and contracted the virus in Australia. 

March 4

A 95-year-old woman died at a Sydney hospital on Wednesday night after developing a respiratory illness from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to two.

A Macquarie University lecturer tested positive for coronavirus on Wednesday after returning from Iran. 

A further six cases confirmed on Wednesday evening. They included an 82-year-old aged care resident from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge, where the 95-year-old woman was staying.

The new cases include a female doctor who works at Liverpool hospital, a female patient from the Northern Beaches, a male from Cronulla, a woman who returned from the Phillippines and a woman in her 70s. 

March 5

A health care worker, who attended the same conference as the doctor from Ryde Hospital, also tests positive.

A boy from Epping Boys High School is diagnosed with COVID-19 forcing the school to temporarily close.

A Goulburn resident who had recently returned from Singapore and travelled on to Darwin was also diagnosed with the virus 

A fourth resident, aged 94, from the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care facility in Macquarie Park was also diagnosed

March 6

Two more workers at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge aged care centre are diagnosed with coronavirus 

 A 24-year-old female and 21-year-old male have now been confirmed as cases at the facility

An 18-year-old female has also been diagnosed

 VICTORIA: 10

January 25  

A Chinese national aged in his 50s becomes the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Australia.

The man flew to Melbourne on China Southern flight CZ321 from Wuhan via Guangzhou on January 19.

He was quarantined at Monash Hospital in Clayton in Melbourne's east.

January 29   

A Victorian man in his 60s is diagnosed with the coronavirus.

He became unwell on January 23 - two days after returning from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The man was confirmed as positive on January 29 and was subsequently seen by doctors at the Monash Medical Centre.

January 30 

 A woman in her 40s is found to have coronavirus.

She was visiting from China and mostly spent time with her family.

She is being treated at Royal Melbourne Hospital. 

February 1 

A woman in her 20s in Melbourne is found to have the virus. 

February 22

Two passengers taken off the Diamond Princess cruise ship test positive. 

February 25

Another passenger taken off the cruise ship tests positive. 

March 1

Victorian man confirmed to have coronavirus after the 78-year-old was evacuated to Melbourne from a Darwin quarantine centre.

It is confirmed a Victorian woman in her 30s has tested positive for coronavirus after flying from Malaysia to Melbourne via Indonesia.

March 4

Victorian man in his 30s confirmed to have coronavirus after returning from Iran. Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said the man was 'almost symptom-free' after self-isolating 

QUEENSLAND: 13

January 29

Queensland confirms its first case after a 44-year-old Chinese national was diagnosed with the virus. He is being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital.

January 30

A 42-year-old Chinese woman who was travelling in the same Wuhan tour group as the 44-year-old man tests positive. She is in Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition.

February 4

An eight-year-old boy was diagnosed with coronavirus. He is also from the tour group where the other Queensland cases came from.

February 5

A 37-year-old man, who was a member of a group of nine Chinese tourists in quarantine on the Gold Coast, also tested positive.

February 6  

A 37-year-old woman was diagnosed with coronavirus from the same travel group that flew to Queensland from Melbourne on January 27.

February 21 

Two Queensland women, aged 54 and 55, tested positive for COVID-19 and will be flown to Brisbane for further treatment.

A 57-year-old woman from Queensland also tested positive for the virus.

February 28

A 63-year-old woman was confirmed to have the virus after returning to the Gold Coast from Iran.

March 3

A 20-year-old man from China was confirmed as the tenth person to be infected by the coronavirus in Queensland. The man had travelled to Dubai for at least 14 days before entering Australia, via Brisbane on February 23. 

March 4

A 26-year-old man from Logan in Brisbane is diagnosed with coronavirus. He arrived back in Australia from Iran.

March 5 

An 81-year-old man who had returned to Brisbane from Thailand and a 29-year-old woman who had come via Singapore from London are diagnosed with coronavirus.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 7

February 1  

A Chinese couple in their 60s who arrived in Adelaide from Wuhan to visit relatives are confirmed to have coronavirus.

A 24-year-old woman from South Australia was transferred to Royal Adelaide Hospital.

March 4

Mother, 40, is diagnosed after flying to Australia from Iran via Kuala Lumpur. 

Another 24-year-old woman, not related to the previous woman, was in a stable condition in Adelaide hospital after falling ill following overseas travel.

March 5

The eight-month-old child of the 40-year-woman, diagnosed on March 4, is also diagnosed with coronavirus.

Renowned Australian music composer Brett Dean, 58, who travelled to SA on March 3 from Taiwan also tests positive. He's receiving treatment in an Adelaide hospital.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA: 3

February 21 

A 78-year-old man from Western Australia was transferred to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth. On February 28, he was taken into intensive care in a 'serious' condition and later died. His wife was also diagnosed with coronavirus.

March 1 

The elderly man died in the early hours of the morning from the virus at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.

March 5

A woman in Perth is diagnosed with the virus after flying into the city from the UK, via Dubai 

TASMANIA: 1  

March 2

The man who travelled from Iran to Australia on Saturday tested positive for COVID-19.

NORTHERN TERRITORY: 1 

March 4

A tourist in Darwin has tested positive for coronavirus in what is the first confirmed case in the Northern Territory.

NT Health confirmed the 52-year-old man as the first case of COVID-19 in the community on Wednesday evening. 

The man recently arrived in Darwin via Sydney and has had limited contact with the local community, NT Health said in a statement. 

 

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Pensioner forced to buy tissues after shelves were stripped of toilet paper amid coronavirus panic

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