Stock up on sth: Tích trữ

Flour: bột mì

Urge: Thúc giục

Panic buying: Mua trữ ồ ạt

A seasonal notice: Thông cáo theo mùa

Stable price : Bình ổn giá

Spike : Mũi nhọn

prompted significant confusion: Gây ra hoang mang lớn

Sending some rushing to supermarkets: Vội vàng chạy đến các siêu thị

Ministry of Commerce: Bộ Thương Mại

Chinese stock up on food as temperatures fall and Covid spreads

Beijing shoppers stocked up on cabbage, rice and flour for the winter on
Wednesday, after the government urged people to keep stores of basic goods in
case of emergencies, though it assured them there were sufficient supplies after
some panic buying.

China’s Ministry of Commerce published a seasonal notice on Monday

encouraging authorities to do a good job in ensuring food supplies and stable
prices ahead of winter, following a recent spike in the prices of vegetables and a
growing outbreak of Covid-19.

But the ministry’s advice to households to also stock up on daily necessities in

case of emergencies prompted significant confusion, sending some rushing to
supermarkets to purchase extra supplies of cooking oil and rice.

China reported its highest number of new locally transmitted Covid-19 cases in
almost three months on Wednesday, including nine new infections in Beijing,
the biggest one-day increase in the capital this year.

“There is uncertainty about the occurrence of the Covid-19 outbreaks. Once an

outbreak occurs, people’s livelihoods will be affected. That’s why people are
stocking up on winter supplies to avoid the impact of Covid-19,” said Ma at
A.G. Holdings.
Chinese authorities typically respond to Covid-19 cases by locking down entire
communities where they occur, restricting movement into and out of the
affected areas.