Dutch PM tells citizens to relax, saying there’s enough toilet paper for 10 years

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is displayed on a tv screen as he gives a speech in which he discusses the current situation regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and explains the necessity of the measures taken, in Nijmegen, Netherlands March 17, 2020. (File: Reuters)

AMSTERDAM: The prime minister in the Netherlands has offered reassurances amid the global coronavirus outbreak: telling citizens on Thursday there is no shortage of toilet paper. 

“Yes, I have enough,” Mark Rutte told a shopper in an informal exchange while visiting a supermarket to show support for workers. “They have it (on shelves) again.” 

“But there’s enough in the whole country for the coming 10 years,” he said. “We can all poop for 10 years.” 

Dutch supermarkets shelves have mostly refilled following a stockpiling episode last week.