Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
A number of residents Beijing, China, panic buying or panic shopping after the government asked the public to stock up on daily necessities for emergencies.
Previously, China asked the country’s citizens to stock up on foodstuffs ahead of winter. While the government plans to tighten lockdown to prevent transmission of the delta variant of Covid-19 before the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Hearing this notification, many residents were confused and rushed to the supermarket to buy additional supplies of cooking oil and rice.
“It’s going to be a cold winter, we want to make sure there’s enough food,” said one woman, shifting rice onto her bicycle at a Beijing supermarket.
Long lines were also observed at the cabbage stalls in supermarkets. Meanwhile, the government continues to ensure that food supplies are still plentiful.
Broadcaster CCTV reported that there was an over-interpretation of the ministry’s advice.
“At present, the supply of daily necessities in various places is sufficient, and the supply must be fully guaranteed,” said Zhu Xiaoliang, director of the consumption promotion department at the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The announcement did not clearly state the reasons residents were asked to stock up on food. There is only an emergency phrase.
“Families (are asked) to store a certain amount of daily necessities necessary to meet daily life and emergencies,” China’s Ministry of Commerce wrote.
The order also does not mention concerns about food shortages. China’s Ministry of Trade did not make this request out of concern lockdown cause the food supply chain to break.
Several cities, including Tianjin, sell winter vegetables at lower prices than supermarkets.
Panic Buying was said to not only happen today. Most of it was triggered by the Covid-19 infection which is surging in China.
The spike in daily cases in China, one of which was caused by a cluster of tourists identified in mid-October.
Yesterday, Tuesday (3/11), the daily cases of Covid-19 in China increased by 71 cases. On the previous day, the daily figure was 92 cases.
Until now, the cumulative cases of Covid-19 in China reached 97,243 with 4,636 deaths.
(isa/bac)
– .
