Breaking News English

Shoppers around the world are [embarking / embarkation] on panic buying sprees because of fears [under / over] the coronavirus. People in countries as far [afield / field] as England, Japan, Singapore and Australia have been [emptied / emptying] supermarket shelves of toilet paper, face masks, hand sanitiser and dried and [canning / canned] food. Governments have [advised / advice] their citizens that there is no need to "panic buy". They added that panic buying would only [deduce / reduce] the supply of products needed [by / at] medical staff and carers, which could exacerbate the problems the COVID-19 virus is [causing / caused] . Footage of shoppers in Australia brawling over the last pack of toilet roll in a supermarket has gone [rival / viral] across social media.

Psychologists say panic buying is an ["irrational" / "rational"] behaviour that is part of a [conditional / condition] called FOMO - the fear of missing [on / out] . Dr Katharina Wittgens said a [herd / heard] mentality sets in during disasters that causes people to copy the actions of others. People watch the news of items being bought [on / in] bulk and immediately rush out to the stores to do the same. She said people were overestimating the risks [to / of] dying from the coronavirus. She said: "[Far / For] more people die in car accidents or household accidents per year but we don't panic about [these / them] things in the morning before we go to work." Singapore's prime minister reassured Singaporeans that: "We have [sample / ample] supplies. There's no need to stock [up / down] ."