Covid Cases sudden spike in China, Govt told to keep daily necessities in stock

The Chinese government has told families to keep daily necessities in stock in case of emergencies, after Covid-19 outbreaks and unusually heavy rains that caused a surge in vegetable prices raised concerns about supply shortages.

The commerce ministry directive late on Monday stirred some concern on domestic social media that it may have been triggered by heightened tensions with Taiwan, while some said people were rushing to stock up on rice, cooking oil and salt. “As soon as this news came out, all the old people near me went crazy panic buying in the supermarket,” wrote one user on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Local media has also recently published lists of recommended goods to store at home including biscuits and instant noodles, vitamins, radios and flashlights. A notice posted on the website of the Ministry of Commerce late on Monday urged “families to store a certain amount of daily necessities as needed to meet daily life and emergencies”.

China’s new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases spiked to a near three-month high and tighter curbs to contain the spread are expected in the capital Beijing in the run-up to a key gathering of the highest-ranking members of the Communist Party next week. The National Health Commission confirmed on Wednesday 93 new local symptomatic cases for Nov. 2, up from 54 a day earlier and the highest daily count since Aug. 9 at the peak of China’s last major outbreak.

Beijing reported nine new local infections, the most since Jan. 19. While the new cases accrued each day by the Chinese capital city since late October have remained very modest compared to outside of China, the country’s zero-tolerance policy has meant the imposition of strict measures to contain the spread of the virus at all costs.

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Temperature screening has been set up at entrances of shopping malls, supermarkets, hotels, cinemas and subway stations, while a legion of personnel on the ground check the health codes of visiting individuals on their mobile phones.

Beijing authorities have also repeatedly told residents to refrain from travelling out of the city, postpone weddings, simplify funeral arrangements, and cut back on all non-essential gatherings. Of the flights scheduled on Wednesday at Beijing Daxing Airport, 60.4% have been cancelled as of the morning.

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