Amid The Coronavirus Outbreak, Public Toilets Chain Toilet Paper Rolls Because People Are Stealing Them Like Crazy

Amid the uncontrollable coronavirus outbreak around the world, several daily, cheap products like hand sanitizers and toilet paper are in higher demand than ever as everyone tries to buy and store them as much as possible. Toilet paper has become so scarce in Japan that someone even has to put a chain through the roll to avoid thieves.

Japanese website Soranews24 reported that a public toilet in Tokyo has a sign stuck on the door saying that it has to stop serving people due to continuous toilet paper thefts.

Japan, which has long been known for great honesty and zero robberies, has been undergoing toilet paper thefts since there were rumors that the country can no longer produce and supply enough toilet paper for people.

As a result, toilet paper was bought a lot, becoming so scarce that many people even sneaked into public toilets to steal toilet paper. The incident forced manufacturers to release images of their warehouses filled with toilet paper stock, but that didn’t help calm the public down. Some public toilets even had to use chains to lock the toilet rolls, yet people turned to get all the paper and leaving the core.

Right now, apart from price stabilization schemes and maintaining security, the Japanese government has signs posted at supermarkets, grocery stores, public toilets to warn people against buying too much and stealing toilet paper. If they really need to use toilet paper, they can borrow a roll from the staff and return it later.

Some places even threaten to tell the police and have toilet paper thieves punished by the law. In 2018, a 64-year-old man was fined almost Rs 148,000 for stealing a roll of toilet paper at Okinoshima Hospital. Not just in Japan, in the US and Australia, among other countries, toilet paper has also become the most bought product.

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