FairPrice places purchase limits to prevent stockpiling due to Malaysia's lockdown

[SINGAPORE] Supermarket chain FairPrice on Tuesday capped the amount of certain "essential" products which Singapore customers can buy, including toilet paper, poultry, instant noodles and rice.

This comes after Malaysia's announcement on Monday night of a nationwide lockdown in response to the coronavirus.

The news had Singaporeans flocking to supermarkets to make purchases, and long queues formed as people filled trolleys with fruit, paper products and canned goods, among other groceries.

Each customer can buy up to four units of paper products (toilet paper, facial tissues and kitchen towels), two units of instant noodles or pasta, two bags of rice, S$30 worth of vegetables, S$30 worth of poultry and 30 eggs.

Notices informing customers of the limits have been placed in FairPrice stores. They urge customers to buy only what they need, saying that supplies of essentials "remain available".

Singapore's Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing took to social media on Monday night to reassure concerned citizens and to encourage responsible purchasing.

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In a Facebook post, he wrote that Singapore is "not in danger of running out of food or other supplies brought in by our retailers" and that Singapore has a "multi-pronged strategy" to prevent shortages that involves a combination of stockpiling, local production capabilities and diversifying its sources of goods.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday morning, he provided further details, saying that at the national level, Singapore has more than three months worth of stockpile for carbohydrates and more than two months worth of supplies for meat and vegetables.

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