Pictures show Chinese residents panic buying as 157 Covid cases lock down 21 million people

Residents of Chengdu are in complete panic and shops in total disarray as China locks down millions of people over 157 cases.

Photos show residents of Chengdu in complete panic as the major city is thrown into lockdown due to 157 Covid-19 cases.

Photos shared to social media show the southwestern Sichuan province capital in total disarray, as Chinese locals scramble to purchase household goods with the lockdown underway.

Videos have emerged of Chengdu citizens swarming stores, stripping shelves, packing trolleys and bulk buying items including vegetables and meat, as residents brace for the worst.

It’s the latest city in China ordered into lockdown after strict restrictions were imposed on Dalian and Shijiazhuang.

21 million people have been told to not leave their homes, as the Chinese Government under President Xi Jinping, continues working towards its “zero-Covid” commitment which is set to continue into 2023.

The city of Chengdu in China is in a state of complete panic as over 21 million residents are locked down. Picture: Twitter

Locals are scrambling to purchase household goods and food with the lockdown underway. Picture: Twitter

Car boot of a Chengdu resident. Citizens have swarmed stores to bulk buy items including vegetables and meat. Picture: Twitter

The lockdown, which was issued by Chinese authorities from 6pm on Thursday, was provoked by a spike in Covid cases (157 new cases reported with 51 displaying no symptoms) last month, with Chengdu now recording over 1000 cases and no deaths.

“The current state of epidemic control is abnormal, complex and grim,” the announcement said, adding that the measures aimed to “decisively arrest the spread of the outbreak and guarantee the health of all citizens.”

The latest lockdown rules state only one family member may leave the home each day to buy essential items, however they must show a negative test result, making them a low contagion risk, in order to do so.

To leave home, enter grocery stores, malls, travel on public transport and purchase medicine, residents must also display a green health status result on their Alipay Health Code app.

One family member may leave the home each day to buy essential items. Picture: Twitter

The city of Chengdu in China is in a state of complete panic with residents preparing for the worst, bulk buying meat and other food items. Picture: Twitter

The district government said it had ordered entertainment venues including bars, cinemas and karaoke clubs to close.

The population of Chengdu likely remembers all too well the nature of the two-month lockdown in Shanghai which further spurred panic buying.

One local, who asked to remain anonymous, told AFP he believed “everyone was crazily stocking up for goods” because of the experience of Shanghai, which was hit by food shortages during its lockdown.

The 25-year-old said he had been in the eastern city during its shutdown and had since been “habitually stocking up” before Chengdu’s latest measures were announced.

At this stage, the lockdown has no end date and is set to cause a major economic fallout, particularly for the manufacturing and technology sectors.

The city of Chengdu in China is in a state of complete panic, stripping shelves, as over 21 million residents are locked down. Picture: Twitter

The streets of Chengdu are bare as over 21 million residents are locked down. Picture: Twitter

Chengdu is currently undertaking four days of mandatory citywide testing with pictures showing long lines of residents queued for their swab.

The active and frequent transmission of the virus in Chengdu has reportedly occurred as a result of indoor entertainment venues, visited by locals attempting to escape the extreme heatwave.

Children in at least 10 cities and provinces are facing disruptions to China’s new academic year as pandemic controls force schools to switch to measures like online learning, according to a news report on Thursday in state-affiliated media.

Xining, the capital of western Qinghai province and home to 2.5 million people, has ordered schools to conduct lessons online, rolled out a mass testing drive and told residents in its main urban area to work from home for three days.

Shenzhen. Another day.

August 24th.
A COVID test site.
More than 100 000 people competing to take their routine COVID test to keep their QR code vaccine passport valid. pic.twitter.com/T1rAjCpDjA

— Songpinganq (@songpinganq) August 25, 2022

Chengdu will undertake four days of mass testing. Picture: Twitter

Chengdu residents who return a green result on their app are able to purchase essential items. Picture: Twitter

The mood appeared calmer on social media Friday, with some residents saying they were able to order food to be delivered to their apartment gates and to go out to buy groceries.

Others said they had resorted to sleeping at their offices in order not to miss work.

Authorities had initially sought to quash talk of a looming lockdown, with police saying they had detained a man for “creating panic” after he warned that the city could shut down.

His case drew online attention Friday, with many on the Twitter-like Weibo platform questioning his punishment and calling him a “hero” for warning his fellow citizens.

The city of Chengdu are panic buying. Authorities had initially sought to quash talk of a looming lockdown. Picture: Twitter. Picture: Twitter

The “zero-Covid” policy has been implemented as scientists work to develop a vaccine to eliminate the risk of transmission of the virus, or for another variant to emerge.

China has stuck to the zero-tolerance virus strategy despite disruptions from the fast-spreading Omicron strain and concern that the approach is stifling its post-pandemic economic recovery.

Last month, travellers in the southern island province of Hainan protested after more than 80,000 tourists were stranded in a resort city because of a Covid-19 flare-up.

Social media videos from the eastern megacity of Shanghai showed panicked crowds fleeing an Ikea store and another building as officials tried to impose local lockdowns in response to two suspected cases.

– with AFP

Originally published as Pictures show Chinese residents panic buying as 157 Covid cases lock down 21 million people