As we reported yesterday, in clear rejection of Tsipras’ plea for calm, Greeks rushed to ATMs in fear that banks would collapse and started hoarding gasoline and groceries.
As the New Yrok Times reports: “Beside the lines at ATMs, people were also lining up at gas stations and in grocery stories. In the small town of Spata, outside Athens, residents had stripped grocery shelves bare by Saturday night. The local Shell station had run out of regular unleaded and had only premium gasoline to sell. “Doom,” the gas attendant responded, when asked to describe the mood.”
Queues snaked outside ATMs and inside supermarkets while fears of disruptions to fuel and medicine supplies grew.
The frenzy at gas stations across the country prompted, Hellenic Petroleum,Greece’s largest refiner to issue a statement assuring that there would be enough fuel supply.
Pharmaceutical companies said they would continue to ship medicines to Greece in coming weeks despite unpaid bills, but warned that supplies could soon be in jeopardy without emergency action, Reuters reports.
Pensioners hoping that they, at least, would be allowed to receive money were turned away from banks. In Salonika, Greece's largest city, pensioners waiting outside closed banks fainted yesterday when it became apparent that they will not receive their pensions.