FAST DOWNLOAD
Images of empty shelves in shops and supermarkets have begun to circulate on social media and in the media.
A massive labor strike by longshoremen at ports in the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern United States has sparked panic buying in several parts of the country.
Toilet paper is the most sought-after product and in some supermarkets it has started to run out, as can be seen in various news portals that show images of empty shelves.
In response, experts have recommended staying calm and staying informed, and have clarified that 70% of the products that enter and leave, at least from the port of Houston, are not part of the basic basket, Telemundo Houston reported.
The situation is reminiscent of the Covid-19 pandemic, when people flocked to shops and supermarkets, which saw a significant increase in demand for products, including toilet paper.
“Toilet paper shortages in US stores are reminiscent of the pandemic,” CNN reported, clarifying that the shortage is not a direct result of the dockworkers’ strike, but rather of panic buying.
In cities like Virginia and New Jersey, social media users reported that toilet paper shelves had been emptied and posted images of the empty shelves.
Tens of thousands of longshoremen at 14 major ports in the eastern United States and the Gulf of Mexico began a strike early Tuesday morning due to the lack of agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) union and the US Maritime Alliance (USMX) employers’ association, EFE reported.
On Tuesday, the ports of New York/Newark, Baltimore, Savannah, Houston, Miami and New Orleans were at a standstill, with pickets and protests at their entrances.
According to ILA, shipping companies have so far offered “an unacceptable package” and longshoremen need better compensation “to keep U.S. trade moving and growing” while “foreign-owned” shipping companies continue to improve revenues.
The strike by more than 45,000 of the ILA’s 85,000 members, the first by longshoremen in the eastern United States since 1977, affects more than 43 percent of the country’s seaborne trade and could cost as much as $5 billion a day, according to JPMorgan.
