A woman wearing a protective face mask walks past stacks of toilet paper for sale in the Tsuen Wan district of Hong Kong on Feb 8, 2020. Hong Kong has been hit by a wave of panic-buying in recent days with supermarket shelves frequently emptied of crucial goods such as toilet paper, hand sanitiser, rice and pasta, as the city on Feb 8 began enforcing a mandatory two-week quarantine for anyone arriving from Chinese mainland, a dramatic escalation of its bid to stop the deadly new coronavirus from spreading. (PHILIP FONG / AFP)

HONG KONG — Knife-wielding robbers in Hong Kong stole 50 packs of toilet paper rolls from a supermarket delivery man, police said on Monday, in a sign of the times for a city worried sick by the coronavirus outbreak across the causeway in Chinese mainland.

Police caught two of the gang of three and recovered all of the toilet paper, worth about HK$1,700 (nearly US$220)

Police caught two of the gang of three and recovered all of the toilet paper, worth about HK$1,700 (nearly US$220). They were still hunting for a third thief. No other details were given.

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Panic in Hong Kong over the coronavirus has emptied supermarket shelves, with people stockpiling toilet paper, cleaning products and basic foodstuffs.

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