Southwestern Chinese city struggles with food shortage due to Covid

Restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19 have led to food shortages in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu. Residents have resorted to panic buying amid mass PCR testing and schools being shut down.

Sichuan's provincial capital has 23 million residents. Media reports said anyone who wants to access public spaces including public transportation will need a green health code on the Chinese government tracker app which is proof of a negative PCR test result received within the past 48 hours.

A resident told RFA that traffic restrictions led to less food on sale in stores and supermarkets. "There are very few people on the streets, and no vendors are selling vegetables in the mornings. There are no vegetables left in the supermarkets. I managed to get a few eggs. Some of my friends are stockpiling food in their homes. The city authorities are telling people to stock up."

The situation in the city is being called "pretty serious". Metro stations are closed and public transport routes are being changed in order to avoid some districts. "They locked down a lot of residential compounds from yesterday evening. There are a lot of people going to get PCR tests, which we have to do every 24 hours," said a resident named Wu to RFA.

"They start calling people on the loudspeakers at 5 am to get up and do PCR tests. This is happening more in places like Century City, the high-tech zone, and Jinnui district," she added.

Photos of a supermarket shared on social media platform Weibo showed empty shelves and freezer cabinets. A video clip shot in the early hours of Tuesday showed mass screaming and shouting in high-rise apartments.

Chengdu's Jinjiang, Gaoxin, Wuhou, Chenghua, Qingyang, and Jinniu districts are under targeted lockdowns.