Panic buying in Beijing amid fears of strict Covid lockdown

AFP via Getty Images
Elly Blake25 April 2022

People are panic buying in Beijing amid fears the Chinese government could impose a strict lockdown on the city after a spike in Covid cases.

Long queues were seen outside supermarkets and shops as residents tried to buy essential supplies in fear of harsher restrictions.

Mass testing has also kicked in for millions of people in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.

The Chaoyang district, one of the city’s largest, reported 26 cases over the weekend - the highest number so far in Beijing’s latest surge. Late on Sunday, officials ordered all 3.5 million residents living in Chaoyang district to undergo three rounds of mass testing.

“The current outbreak in Beijing is spreading stealthily from sources that remain unknown yet and is developing rapidly,” a municipality official told Reuters.

Since Friday, Beijing has reported 47 locally transmitted coronavirus cases, with Chaoyang accounting for more than half of them.

People wait in line to be tested for the Covid-19 coronavirus at a swab collection site in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images

Residents were also told to reduce public activities and suspend in-person private tutoring classes.

Across the rest of the city, schools, offices and shops remain open.

But amid fears a lockdown is looming, people rushed to supermarkets to buy essential supplies despite government assurances there is sufficient supply.

Images of empty supermarket shelves have been circulating on social media.

Some supermarkets extended their opening hours for shoppers as result of the spike in demand.

State-media news outlet The Global Times reported that Beijing’s fresh food companies have been ordered to increase the supply of items such as meat, poultry eggs and vegetables.

Meanwhile, Pang Xinghuo, deputy director of the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, told state-media outlet China Daily that infection rates in Beijing were expected to increase in the coming days.

Many are speculating the Chinese capital could be placed under a strict lockdown, similar to Shanghai. The city of 25 million people has been subject to tough restrictions since late March after a spike in positive infections.

The Chinese government remains committed to its zero-Covid policy, which aims to eradicate the virus completely.

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