People Panic Buy
The given reason for the panic buying was that Singapore had raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level to Orange from Yellow.
So what is so funny about the panic buying? Well, the issue is the motive.
In China, people are advised to stay home and to reduce going out in order to avoid contacts and to reduce possibility of infection, therefore, they had to buy more stuff in order to reduce the need of going out, thereby reducing exposure of infection.
However, what Singaporeans did last night was a joke! They rushed to buy items, and the end result is yet another unnecessary clustering, unknowingly increasing their own risks! In other words, if there was a sick panic-buyer, then those who also panic-buy last night would be at a high risk of infection!
Can you see the difference in the motive now? The motive in China was to avoid unnecessary contacts and exposure; however in Singapore, people ended up doing the opposite!
Therefore, instead of jumping into the bandwagon of panic buying, it is wiser to follow advice, i.e. avoid unnecessary gathering!
BTW, did the stock really run out? No! This morning, I went to NTUC fairprice, and this is the situation:
So, did I buy? NO!!! Why? Because the queue was longer than usual, and as a precautionary measure, I smiled, shook my head and quickly left the place!
Later, while waiting to pump petrol, I stopped by the store and bought my pack of bread as there were almost no people there - safe time to buy stuff if you did not want to be in crowded places! This was the view at the petrol station:
Therefore, the advice is always to avoid unnecessarily crowded places. If you have masks, decide whether you would want to use them now, as it might be more precious later on. Even if you don't have masks, just make sure that you keep a proper distance from people who appear sick, or if you want to be doubly safe, then just keep a distance from all people!
Alternatively, you could leverage online purchases, with delivery to your home instead. I know it might be difficult to get a delivery slot, but seriously, there is really no need to rush to buy food now!
However, if you are still worried, then just get one or two days more than usual. Buying a whole month of noodles is really stupid, are you really going to eat the same stuff the whole month? No! It would be so sickening and demotivating! Also, in terms of nutritional needs, it is important to get a broad range of food so as to help your body to better fight off infection! Take note that buying too much food will more likely end up with wastage and you are also more likely to end up eating food that is not fresh - not a good idea when your body needs the best nutrition for defence!
I know some people might still be worried about shortage of food. Let me tell you this: It is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that this will happened! This is because Singapore election MUST be held by early 2021!!! The situation now involved the Government's own rice bowl, if they ever made people go hungry, I am sure they would be out of parliament, and they know it! You now have the trump card (voting slip)!
Therefore, from another perspective, it is relatively lucky that this unfortunate event happened now, rather than right after an election. This is because we can now be very sure that the Government would put in their very best to resolve this! Remember, their rice bowls are on the rocks, they are more worried than you!
In summary, let's stay cool, stay tuned to the various advisories and adhere to them, I am sure we will get through this, together!
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