Coronavirus: Hong Kong consumers in panic-buying frenzy on fears of large-scale lockdown for universal testing

Long lines of customers formed at supermarkets across Hong Kong on Monday to strip shelves of daily necessities and groceries, while thousands flocked to online shopping portals, panicked by the possibility of a large-scale lockdown to enable universal testing for Covid-19.

The shock waves spread after Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee told a radio programme on Monday morning the government would not rule out the possibility of such a lockdown, citing the need to “reduce the flow of people to a certain extent”.

That was in contrast to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s statement last Tuesday that the proposed citywide testing would not require a lockdown when it was conducted in March.

Anxious shoppers wiped the shelves clean of fresh meat, vegetables and medication as the city grapples with its fifth wave of the coronavirus. Officials confirmed a record 34,466 Covid-19 cases on Monday.

A Wellcome outlet in Causeway Bay was a scene of long queues, empty shelves and shoppers with baskets full of fresh produce when the Post visited on Monday afternoon. Goods such as fresh pork, bread, eggs and vegetables had sold out, while items like canned food, frozen dumplings and fruits were in short supply.

Only a few shoppers had carts full of essentials such as oil and rice, as most people bought groceries in small quantities. Rice, noodles and toilet paper – items that flew off the shelves in previous rounds of panic buying – were in stock.

Ivy Chung, a housewife in her 50s who stays in Sha Tin, was one of the shoppers in line. She had come to Causeway Bay for a bank errand and heard rumours of a potential lockdown. She stocked up on fresh fruits and vegetables, and planned to order bulkier items such as rice from e-commerce sites.