BEIJING: With Covid-19 spreading fast in the city, those at virus-hit zones here have been prepping and buying up essentials.
Among them is Wendy Ang who has stocked up on two months’ worth of food for her family.
They include her husband and two children, aged five and nine.
She has stocked up 20kg of rice, 7kg of flour, 60 eggs, 2kg of coffee beans, a dozen cartons of one-litre milk and plenty of meats and seafood, among others.
“I also have a lot of canned food like luncheon meat, baked beans and sardines as well as different types of noodles, an assortments of beans and mushrooms,” she said as she smiled.
Ang, 38, is one of the early birds who managed to store food before Beijing folks started panic-buying on Sunday evening.
This followed the lockdown of 14 residential areas with 14 others placed under static control management.
The outbreak this time is linked to the Omicron variant, which is highly contagious.
The Chinese capital reported a total of 55 locally transmitted cases in four days since last Friday.
Fearing food shortage similar to what those in Shanghai are experiencing, city dwellers in the affected areas had been buying what they could.
In just a few hours, most of the shelves were empty.
Various lists recommending that certain items be stocked up at home have been circulating on social media platforms.
Apart from food, the lists include medicine, toilet paper, detergent, baby diapers and personal care products.
Malaysians here have also been sharing methods of keeping food fresh and how to build makeshift toilets for pet dogs.
There is also a checklist on items to be prepared in case one has to be taken to the quarantine centre. The goods include cutlery, cups, blankets, towels, simple foods, snacks and beverages.
Film director Michael Wong has 40kg of rice at his home.
He explained that he bought a few packets several months back, then his mother-in-law, fearful of a lockdown, gave him more.
“Having gone through more than two years of pandemic and with the government’s zero tolerance policy, I have always kept some non-perishable goods at home.
“It is better to be safe and prepare early,” he added.
Wong said he started stocking up a week ago.
He bought 12 packets of spaghetti, a variety of canned food, preserved vegetable and four cartons of milk.
On Sunday night, he placed orders for pet food, dried mushrooms, seaweeds and beans.