No water shortage likely but paper towels & toilet paper may be scarce- Hon Vanterpool
As the Novel Coronavirus started to take effect on the Caribbean, there has been a mad rush to stock up on certain items, including toilet paper and paper towels. This resulted in several super markets reverting to limiting the amounts to customers. The same could be said for bottled water.
Shortage of certain paper products likely
Proprietor of one of Tortola's prominent supermarkets, One Mart, businessman and Fourth District Representative Hon Mark H. Vanterpool (R4) has said the supply of bottled water is not likely to be a challenge; however, paper products are likely to.
Speaking at a press conference called by Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition at the conference room of the Office of the House of Assembly on March 16, 2020, Honourable Vanterpool told reporters that Caribbean wholesalers were informed by supplier, Proctor and Gamble, it is going to be making its bigger markets a priority.
"There is a huge demand in the US for paper goods, I was surprised at that, I was looking at the cleaning items, I don’t think that would be. We, for example, got an advice from our major supplier today [March 16] first thing from when I woke up from Proctor and Gamble, which supplies bounty paper towels and Charmin paper tissues, for example, to say that they wouldn't be shipping any outside the USA right now until further notice."
Hon Vanterpool further explained that the producers are about to go into higher manufacture mode and because of the panic that affected the US the demand is higher.
Some price increase may occur
He also said that as the Territory is 100% dependent on external markets for goods and other supplies and with the spike on demand for certain items, including cleaning supplies, masks and hand sanitisers, it is likely there will be some increases in prices.
"We have supplies coming in but I haven’t seen any price increase yet, with the exception of eggs," said Hon Vanterpool, while noting that he doesn't think it has anything to do with the current pandemic as its normal around this time of year with the increase in demand.
"There are one or two items that our suppliers have advised us about, and I don’t think this has anything to do with the virus, for example, eggs have gone quite high in the last week or two and that's because that is usually the case around Easter time, you get that kind of increase from the suppliers side because the demand is so high and it quickly becomes scarce."
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Moreover, food security is a concerning issue for the BVI,especially during this crisis. But another equally or more important issue is medical services security. Though the BVI currently has no confirmed cases of the Coronavirus, it is spreading among its regional neighbors from Jamaica to Barbados to Bahamas to Trinidad and Tobago. An infections surge in the VI, will overwhelm the health system,ie, lack of hospital beds, physicians, nurses, ventilators, respirators, lab techs.........etc. Consequently, it is critical that all practical means be instituted to flatten the infection curve or dampen the infection wave. These practical means include a)locking down the territory/sheltering in place, b)employing social distancing, c)closing schools, d)limiting immigration, e)buttoning up its extensive porous border [territorial sea (12 miles out), exclusive economic zone (200 miles out)], f)limiting mass gatherings, g)implementing a curfew, h)quarantining people......etc. A major surge in infections, coupled with limited medical resources, capacity and capability, may necessitate triaging. Each of us must do his or part in preventing, containing, controlling and mitigating the Coronavirus. It is a VI, not a VIP, NDP, PVIM or PU or young/old or local/expat or Black/White/Asian/Hispanic or men/women..........etc problem. Collectivism, not individualism.