The most common sight in the wake of the novel Coronavirus outbreak is that people are heading to supermarkets to grab whatever they can in order to survive for maybe a few more months. From buying stacks of tissue papers, sanitizers, water, food supplies to all other necessary essentials, photos and videos of people in a panic mode, have surfaced online from different parts of the world.
Recently, a photo of an untouched vegan food shelf (while the other shelves are empty) in a supermarket has gone viral on social media with the caption: "Even with the coronavirus panic buying, no one wants to eat vegan food." The photo was shared by the Facebook page Stop Foreign Ownership in Australia, on March 4.
The picture was shared by many netizens, especially as the novel Coronavirus is believed to have spread from a wet market in Wuhan, China, where even exotic animals like bats, rats, monkeys and snakes, among others are of high demand.
Fact check
However, it is understood that the image that is doing the rounds on social media has no connection with the latest COVID-19 outbreak. It is said to have been captured from a supermarket in Houston, US, way back in September 2017 ahead of a hurricane.
"You have a choice Houston, starve to death...or eat vegan." (ENTIRE CITY OF HOUSTON TAKES A BIG SWIG OF WHISKY) "I'll see you in hell," a Twitter user Matt Oswalt had tweeted with this picture in 2017.
Even the social media giant Facebook has tagged this photo shared by the Australia-based Facebook group as 'False Information'.
