Hong Kong residents empty supermarkets ahead of city-wide lockdown

A woman wearing face mask walks past empty shelves for rice as residents worry about a shortage of food and supplies, at a supermarket in Hong Kong Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Health authorities said the government could implement measures that may involve "asking people to stay at home," and that it remains to be seen whether it would be done via legislation or other means. - AP

HONG KONG, March 1 (Reuters): Hong Kong residents braced for a city-wide lockdown, emptying supermarkets and pharmacies, even as leader Carrie Lam called for calm on Tuesday and appealed for the public not to worry over a compulsory mass Covid-19 testing plan.

The Chinese-ruled territory reported 32,597 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday and a record 117 deaths in the past 24 hours. It has seen daily infections surge over 30 times from just over 100 at the start of February.