Deja vu in Hong Kong as virus restrictions spark panic buying

Deja vu in Hong Kong as virus restrictions spark panic buying

HONG KONG: Shoppers thronged Hong Kong’s markets fearing a shortage of food yesterday, familiar scenes in a city that is back under grueling COVID restrictions in contrast to much of the world. Hong Kong has followed mainland China in maintaining a strict “zero-COVID” policy that has kept infections low through targeted lockdowns and extensive social distancing measures.

Yesterday the city recorded 1,161 new infections, a daily record but a number that pales in comparison with outbreaks around the world. The Omicron-fuelled spike has alarmed authorities and leader Carrie Lam announced renewed curbs on the 7.5 million residents of the financial hub. In scenes reminiscent of early 2020, when the coronavirus first emerged in China, Hong Kongers this week scrambled to stock up as panic set in over food supply shocks.

“It feels like the government isn’t prepared at all, and we ordinary citizens can only look out for ourselves,” a woman surnamed Siu, 42 said yesterday. She was among the throng of morning shoppers anxious over fresh produce supply, which the city mostly imports from the mainland. This week a cross-border truck driver tested positive for COVID, spurring a temporary hold-up of delivery trucks.

Hong Kong’s vegetable supply has since decreased by about