Covid-19: People begin stocking up food supplies in Setiawangsa

Unusually longer queues at the paying counter were spotted at a local supermarket in Setiawangsa.

SETIAWANGSA: Food items have begun flying off shelves in local supermarkets as locals begun stocking up food supplies in anticipation of stronger clampdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

A check by StarMetro at a local supermarket on Monday (March 16) revealed items such as canned foods, packs of flours, rice bags and instant noodles were almost out of stock.

Queue lines at paying counters were also noticeably longer than usual.

However, some people said they were not panicking yet, and that they were taking measures by ensuring personal cleanliness and limiting unnecessary travels outside.

Shopper Noorfuziah Ariffin who came at noon to buy food supplies said she was surprised to see so many shoppers on a weekday.

"I came around 12.30pm for my regular shopping to buy some rice and fruits. I am surprised to see the queue this long because this never happened before," she said.

Noorfuziah said there was no need to panic while advising everyone to ensure personal cleanliness such as sanitising and washing hands regularly.

Retiree Siti Abdullah said she was surprised to see food items cleared off the shelves so fast.

"I don't think people need to panic yet. This panicking maybe caused by a lot of fake news which is circulating on social media.

"For now, I have reduced unnecessary travels and only go out when I absolutely have to," she said.

Meanwhile, Mohd Azri Aziz, 30 said he was worried that supermarkets would run out of food supplies soon if people began panic-buying.

"Many people are stocking up on food supplies because they think everyone else is doing it too.

"They are preparing just in case the government announces a more drastic measure to contain the Covid-19 spread," he said.

Meanwhile, Mimi Nur Syazwani Daud, 27 said she and her husband were told by their employers to work from home starting this week until further notice.

"I already stocked up on necessary supplies such as rice and noodles yesterday," she said, adding that she hoped the virus could be contained soon.