Last Friday, 7 February, Singapore raised DORSCON level from “yellow” to “orange” as the last three confirmed cases did not have any link with the previous 30 cases. This urged some people to buy more than they could consume for fear that goods would run out or go up in prices.

Among the commodities that are very few or are no longer on the shelves are those products that have longer shelf life or can be kept at home for a longer period of time. These include noodles, canned food, flour, eggs and rice. In addition to these items, cleaning or disinfectant products are also diminishing.

Grocery items that can still be found in the supermarket are those items that are perishable like fruits, vegetables and meat.

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong advised the public not to panic as the city will neither be locked down nor be confining everybody to stay at home. There is ample supplies of commodities, so there is no need to store instant noodles, canned food, or other products at home.

Let us approach this challenge with calmness! While it is good to prepare for the future, panic buying will do more harm than good to us. There will be no or only less food left for others. Also, there is a chance that the price can go up as the higher the demand, the higher the price will be.