Panic buying in Beijing stores amid COVID lockdown fears

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Beijing residents have gone into a buying panic as a mass COVID-19 testing order is announced. Residents in Beijing's biggest district, Chaoyang, are now being asked to test three times weekly to slow the virus spread, authorities announced Sunday.

Beijing residents have started emptying out grocery stores for essentials, fearing they will be forced to undergo a lockdown similar to Shanghai's, which is going into its fourth isolation week. Shoppers are stocking up on basics, including "vegetables, fresh meat, instant noodles and toilet paper," according to Reuters. 

COVID CASES IN BEIJING LEAD OFFICIALS TO SUSPEND CLASSES, CONDUCT MASS TESTING

Both grocery stains chains and online grocery services have braced themselves for the high product demand. Carrefour and Wumart have stated they doubled inventory while Meituan has increased their number of staff. 

Beijing's financial hub, however, is experiencing a main bottleneck supply due to a lack of couriers to make deliveries. 

Despite the alarm, Beijing's COVID restrictions are much more lenient compared to other areas in China, with "most Chaoyang schools, stores and offices" remaining open despite the case surge. 

Commuters wearing face masks walk in a subway station in Beijing, Friday, April 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

In Shanghai, residents still remain under a strict lockdown. Many public housing blocks and streets have been shut down, with police in hazmat suits patrolling public areas. 

The Shanghai government reported 51 total COVID deaths on April 24, marking the highest number of daily deaths to date. Despite many residents claiming their relatives or friends caught coronavirus in March, government officials are reporting 138 total deaths as of April 17. 

SHANGHAI PLEDGES TO IMPROVE FOOD SUPPLIES, EASE VIRUS RESTRICTIONS

Authorities have announced they are seeking to loosen restrictions, stating they will be enforcing the harsher guidelines in smaller areas with confirmed cases. 

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Asymptomatic case numbers have fallen from one day to the next, with local asymptomatic cases falling from 19,657 to 16,983 in the span of a day. On the other hand, symptomatic case numbers grew from 1,401 to 2,472, according to Reuters. 

Reuters contributed to this report.