While supermarkets across the UK could be facing a shortage of supplies if buyers continue to stockpile in preparation for potential self-isolation, it appears that some people in the Netherlands are stockpiling a rather different substance.
Indeed, new measures brought about by the Dutch government have ordered the closure of the country's famous coffee shops, in addition to restaurants and bars, ABC News reports.
Familiarize yourself on the symptoms of coronavirus:In response to the prospect of going without cannabis for a few weeks, Amsterdam's coffee shops saw huge queues forming outside over the weekend. And according to the publication, the closures will be in place until at least April 6.
In related news, the people of California are having to contend with the closure of bars, gyms, theaters and in-person dining in restaurants so that the spread of COVID-19 is minimized.
In order to encourage the citizens of California to cooperate with authorities in the fight against the spread of the virus, the state's former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger took to social media to urge people to stay indoors.
In the clip, the Austrian-born actor tells his followers: "The important thing is that you stay at home because there’s a curfew now. No one is allowed out especially someone who is 72 years old. After 65 you’re not allowed out your house anymore in California, so you gotta stay home.
"That’s what we do. We don’t go to restaurants, we don’t go to anything like that anymore here. We just eat with Whiskey and with Lulu [his ponies] and have a good time and get entertained. Look at that beautiful smile she is.
No more restaurants, forget all that. Gatherings, restaurants, gymnasiums are out the window. You stay home."
Watch as the 72-year-old actor avocates self-isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak:In a report from the World Health Organization last Wednesday (11 March), WHO declared that the COVID-19 outbreak is now being officially recognized as a pandemic:
"WHO has been assessing this outbreak around the clock and we are deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity, and by the alarming levels of inaction.
We have therefore made the assessment that COVID-19 can be characterized as a pandemic.
Pandemic is not a word to use lightly or carelessly. It is a word that, if misused, can cause unreasonable fear, or unjustified acceptance that the fight is over, leading to unnecessary suffering and death."
At the time of writing (March 16), there have been 152,428 cases of coronavirus and 5,720 deaths from the disease worldwide.