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Letter: Chill out people; hoarding items is extremely selfish

We hear all the time about how welcoming Steamboat Springs is. You know, one of those towns where everyone looks out for one another.  However, if the actions of some of our citizenry in the past couple weeks is any indication, “concern” for fellow residents may only be rhetoric.

Hoarding items is an extremely selfish act and doesn’t make these trying times easier for anyone. It baffles me why some people felt the need to stockpile a six-month supply of toilet paper in their basements at a time when CDC guidelines suggest only 14 days of supplies. 

What does toilet paper have to do with COVID-19 anyway? For the life of me, I can’t come up with an answer to that. This isn’t a disease of diarrhea — it’s a cough.



People like you — if you’re amongst this unbelievably unempathetic group — only exacerbate the angst that is naturally present at a time like this. What was the poor bloke who simply ran out of TP this week supposed to do? Obviously you didn’t care. 

In the over 20 years I’ve lived here, I can’t remember a time when toilet paper was in short supply in our town. If you were running low, you simply bought some. Why would you think that was about to change? Why would you suddenly become so self-centered? Where is your concern for others in the community? 



The same is true for hand sanitizer.  You can only use one bottle at a time — why not buy that bottle, leave some for the other folks, then when you need more, go buy another bottle? It’s not a stretch to think that the same people hoarding TP and sanitizer are the same ones crying out to be tested for COVID-19. 

If you have symptoms, then by all means, request to be tested, but simply being afraid is not a symptomChill out people — what you’re doing is aiding in the spread of panic and anxiety.  As with any crisis, those who act with reason and pragmatism carry the day. You’ll become less anxious yourself and will find a certain measure of comfort if you put aside your self-interests and begin to care for others.

Margaret Kirby
Steamboat Springs


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