China’s government urged its citizens to stock up on essential goods in case of emergency, state media sought to calm tempers amid reports that people were going out panic shopping.
China asks its citizens to stock up on essential commodities in case of emergency
The announcement was made by the Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday, and while no specific reason was given, the call comes amid confinements due to coronavirus outbreaks and unusually heavy rains that have damaged crops and raised concerns about vegetable supplies.
The ministry also called on local authorities to keep supply chains functioning and prices stable.
Later, state media sought to calm tempers amid reports that people were going out panic buying.
“As soon as this news broke, all the elderly people near me went crazy, panic buying in the supermarket,” wrote one user on Chinese social networking site Weibo.
The People’s Daily newspaper said such warnings are usual, but had been made slightly earlier this year due to problems including a rise in vegetable prices, natural disasters and recent cases of covid-19.
Food prices traditionally rise in China as winter approaches, but vegetable prices have soared in recent weeks due to extreme weather.
China hopes to reach zero covid infections by 2022
Meanwhile, the country continues to resort to strict confinements to deal with the coronavirus. China hopes to reach zero infections before hosting the Winter Olympics, which begin in February 2022.
On Monday, 92 new cases of coronavirus were reported in China.
Shanghai Disneyland was closed for at least two days after a tourist tested positive for covid-19 after returning home.
