<p>Armed robbers who stole hundreds of toilet rolls were being hunted by Hong Kong police on Monday, in a city wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying.</p>.<p>Toilet rolls have become hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.</p>.<p>Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading to sometimes lengthy queues and shelves stripped bare within moments of opening.</p>.<p>Alongside toilet rolls, there has been a run on staples like rice and pasta as well as hand sanitiser and other cleaning items.</p>.<p>Police said a truck driver was held up early Monday by three men outside a supermarket in Mong Kok, a working class district with a history of "triad" organised crime gangs.</p>.<p>"A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 ($130)," a police spokesman told AFP.</p>.<p>Footage from Now TV showed police investigators standing around multiple crates of toilet roll outside a Wellcome supermarket. One of the crates was only half stacked.</p>.<p>The hysteria that has swept through Hong Kong since the coronavirus outbreak exploded on mainland China is partly fuelled by the city's tragic recent history of confronting a deadly disease.</p>.<p>In 2003, 299 Hong Kongers died of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an outbreak that began on the mainland but was initially covered up by Beijing, a decision that left a lasting legacy of distrust towards the authorities on public health issues.</p>.<p>This year's coronavirus outbreak also comes at a time when the city's pro-Beijing leadership boasts historic low approval ratings after refusing to bow to months of angry pro-democracy protests last year.</p>.<p>Authorities have blamed false online rumours for the panic-buying and say supplies of food and household goods remain stable.</p>.<p>But the panic-buying has itself created shortages in one of the world's most densely populated cities where supermarkets and pharmacies have limited floor space.</p>
<p>Armed robbers who stole hundreds of toilet rolls were being hunted by Hong Kong police on Monday, in a city wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying.</p>.<p>Toilet rolls have become hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.</p>.<p>Supermarkets have found themselves unable to restock quickly enough, leading to sometimes lengthy queues and shelves stripped bare within moments of opening.</p>.<p>Alongside toilet rolls, there has been a run on staples like rice and pasta as well as hand sanitiser and other cleaning items.</p>.<p>Police said a truck driver was held up early Monday by three men outside a supermarket in Mong Kok, a working class district with a history of "triad" organised crime gangs.</p>.<p>"A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 ($130)," a police spokesman told AFP.</p>.<p>Footage from Now TV showed police investigators standing around multiple crates of toilet roll outside a Wellcome supermarket. One of the crates was only half stacked.</p>.<p>The hysteria that has swept through Hong Kong since the coronavirus outbreak exploded on mainland China is partly fuelled by the city's tragic recent history of confronting a deadly disease.</p>.<p>In 2003, 299 Hong Kongers died of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), an outbreak that began on the mainland but was initially covered up by Beijing, a decision that left a lasting legacy of distrust towards the authorities on public health issues.</p>.<p>This year's coronavirus outbreak also comes at a time when the city's pro-Beijing leadership boasts historic low approval ratings after refusing to bow to months of angry pro-democracy protests last year.</p>.<p>Authorities have blamed false online rumours for the panic-buying and say supplies of food and household goods remain stable.</p>.<p>But the panic-buying has itself created shortages in one of the world's most densely populated cities where supermarkets and pharmacies have limited floor space.</p>