Story By: Anastasia Smirnova, Sub-Editor:  Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

Belgium has seen a spate of citizens panic-buying hens to ensure they have eggs for their households in the coronavirus lockdown.

Belgium was one of the last countries to announce a lockdown, warning citizens on Tuesday 17th March with the official lockdown beginning at noon the following day.

The decision was seen as coming too late by some, as the rates of people testing positive for COVID-19 reportedly remained on the same levels as Austria, where the ski resort town of Ischgl in the western province of Tirol, helped spread the virus all over Europe.

Retailers had reportedly managed to stock their shelves with toilet roll, the item seemingly targeted by most panic buyers, but Belgians reportedly began buying hens instead.

Apart from buying spring chicks, less experienced customers were also ready to invest in older hens too.

Some of these are not good enough for major farms but are capable of providing enough eggs for a household.

According to local media outlet RTBF, there is no shortage of eggs in the country since exports outside of Europe have been put on hold indefinitely, but this did not stop the locals from emotion-driven purchases.

Belgium has suffered 3,401 confirmed cases of COVID-19, resulting in 75 deaths.

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