Oh hey guys, Comical Ali is back[1]!

In all seriousness, I'm truly baffled what motivates you to stand out so strongly in your anti-hysteria hysteria. I mean, I'm the anxious type who just like to prepare for stuff just in case, especially if the cost is low, but you appear to go actively out of your way to spend energy on countering any degree of concern, and it's frustratingly difficult to understand the underlying motivation.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Sahhaf

If people start trickling into stores to stock up now, as the Canadian government is urging it's citizens, there will be less of a rush later. Perhaps we can avoid the chaos of empty store shelves.

Your wording seems a bit off mark. The Minister of Health is recommending everyone to always have an emergency reserve in case of any unforseen event, from illness to power blackout.

I'd say the vast majority of people that I know don't have such a reserve, and are seriously considering it now.

If they all go and stock up, what with the JIT-style of many supermarkets, I wouldn't be surprised to encounter shortages.

Even just to avoid the inconvenience of that, stocking up now, while the majority of the population is not too concerned, seems prudent and even beneficial to everyone else