Coronavirus: Panic buying hits Blacktown supermarkets
Panicked shoppers have been stocking up on food in Blacktown as fears about Coronavirus spread across western Sydney. See what Australia’s Chief Medical Officer advises.
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Panic about the deadly coronavirus has swept through supermarkets in Blacktown as fears about the spread of the virus grow across western Sydney.
Local businesses are reporting a surge in the number of shoppers stocking up on rice, flour and canned goods since late last week as the global COVID-19 outbreak sends shoppers into a frenzy.
The panic has been seen at Asian supermarkets in Blacktown, including Tong Li Supermarket and Good Luck plaza, where demand for goods has spiked.
Tong Li Blacktown store manager Raymond Yao said shoppers had begun stocking up on bags of rice since Thursday, leading the store to order double the amount of usual stock.
However, Mr Yao said shoppers need not be worried about food shortages.
“It’s not necessary. If you’re worried, just buy one extra bag, not two or three,” Mr Yao said.
A business owner in Good Luck Plaza in First Ave said shoppers had swarmed on the centre at the weekend, with some buying up to 20kg of rice.
“You can see people are preparing for another two months,” he said.
“They are starting to worry.
“Yesterday, there were two pallets of rice, now there’s only some bags left.
“This is a big problem.”
The business owner despite the recent panic buying, overall trade had dropped “tenfold” since January.
A nearby bakery owner said trade and his store had halved.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.
“We depend on the supermarket for customers, so when it is less there, it is less for us.”
Speaking on Saturday, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy discouraged people from stockpiling goods.
“I don’t think that’s appropriate at this stage,” Professor Murphy said.
“I think we are a very well-prepared country.
“We know that people stockpiling masks has caused an issue with mask supplies around Australia and we don’t support that.”