Also, they should have anticipated and addressed the public’s concerns and fears across the different platforms, he added. Furthermore, whenever there is a life-threatening epidemic or emergency, the notions of safety, protection, and self-preservation usually come into play. Business owners like Ms Chong and Mr Chew are hoping that people would continue life as normal, albeit taking the necessary precautions. The Government had made clear that it has a stockpile of masks but this did not prevent long queues or stocks running out at shops and pharmacies. The Straits Times. Coronavirus microsite: Get latest updates, videos and graphics, Coronavirus: Psychological society lists 7 ways to manage panic following food, grocery buying sprees, Amid coronavirus, the fragile system supplying food to the world is under strain, Interactive: How coronavirus is spreading across the world, Hoarding toilet paper: The mystery of such panic buying explained, First shipment of Covid-19 vaccine arrives in S'pore on SIA flight from Brussels, Identify, investigate, negotiate: How Singapore took steps to ensure access to Covid-19 vaccines, Some travellers from UK, New South Wales not allowed to enter Singapore from Dec 24, 29 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore, all imported, Malaysia to get AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, follows Pfizer-BioNTech deal, Not getting Covid-19 vaccine puts all at greater risk: Experts, S'pore to enter phase 3 on Dec 28: Groups of 8 to be allowed for social gatherings, 7 things to expect in phase 3: Dining out in larger groups, free Covid-19 vaccinations, Travellers from HK to serve 14-day SHN in S'pore from Dec 14, Muis urges Muslims to take Covid-19 vaccine once available, found to be safe and effective. By now, you should know that the Wuhan virus community spread is a real thing in Singapore: the DORSCON level has just been raised from Yellow to Orange as there are now four infections with unknown origins. She said it did not help that recipients of the leaked document were initially told by others that it was fake news, only to be informed by the authorities a few hours later that it was indeed true. Others have had to adjust to working from home as business continuity plans swung into place. Green is good. After a brief period of panic-buying in Singapore earlier this month amid the coronavirus outbreak, more people are said to be going online to purchase groceries and other items. Datuk Rosol Wahid speaks to the media in Melaka July 12, 2020. Audrey Tan. SPH Digital News / Copyright © 2020 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. A 23-year-old outbreak nurse who works with COVID-19 patients said that while her family understands the risks of her occupation, it does not stop them from worrying. Google, Temasek agree to invest US$350m in Indonesia's Tokopedia. We feel ostracised at times because all we want to do is perform our job and go home,” she said. Stay calm and don’t panic buy. The images of empty shelves circulating on social media played a big part, said Singapore Management University sociologist Paulin Straughan. By clicking subscribe, I agree to receive news updates and promotional material from Mediacorp and Mediacorp's partners. “At the moment, people are sourcing their masks from all over the world and there’s simply not enough,” he said. Asian wheat importers, including the region's top importer Indonesia, have been taking a bulk of the cargoes from the Black Sea region amid a global oversupply. Communications experts said the panic-buying in Singapore might have been avoided if the information disseminated by the authorities had been clearer. Still, some like Dr Paul Tambyah felt it was understandable why these shoppers behaved the way they did. Supermarkets in countries around the world are rationing food and household staples in an attempt to prevent shortages as the coronavirus pandemic sparks waves of panic buying. Background: Panic buying is an erratic human behavior that has been reported irregularly and episodically. “If they like the work then it can remain in their home, making it extra convenient for them as they do not even have to leave their house.”. “As far as I know, when a quarantine officer comes to put a person on quarantine, they do not let you go shopping at the supermarket first,” he said. Malaysia has announced on 16 March 2020 that it will restrict all movement throughout the country from 18 to 31 March to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within Malaysia. "We are not sure about the demand. Among the possible factors behind the panic buying was negativity bias where people’s brains tend to focus more on negative information than positive ones, said the SPS spokesperson. Despite reassurances from Government leaders including Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing who took to Facebook to call for calm, Mr Tay and many Singaporeans were not entirely assured as the panic buying continued through the night. By Kate Gibson Updated on: November 18, 2020 / 5:06 PM / MoneyWatch … Oil exporting nations in the Middle East, which are also net grain importers, are likely to feel more financial pain with crude losing more than 60 per cent of its value this year . In Singapore, where the number of cases rose to 13 in the past week, the shortage of face masks prompted hundreds of online sellers to jack up prices — some by up to 20 times. There is a dearth of studies exploring the identifiable factors accounting for it. “While authorities should not get emotional when communicating, they have to be empathetic appealing to the hearts and minds of the audience,” said Mr Voedisch. Hoarding means that we deprive others of things that they really need,” he said. Restrictions imposed by some European Union countries at their borders with other member states in response to the pandemic are also disrupting food supplies, representatives of the industry and farmers said. But something caught his attention while he was mindlessly thumbing through his phone in the train around 9pm on Friday a week ago: Images of shoppers making a mad dash for groceries at supermarkets across the island. Feb 07, 2020. Now Orange. “So far, even my friends (who are also taxi drivers) have all been continuing to work as per normal,” said Mr Ahmad. Communications experts said the panic-buying in Singapore might have been avoided if the information disseminated by the authorities had been clearer. When I got home, I told my parents about it,” Mr Tay, 31, said. People in S’pore Panic Buy & Wipe Out Items in Shelves After Announcement of new DORSCON Level. When Rona Lai, a … “When the DORSCON Orange was finally announced, it became a trigger tantamount to saying ‘the coronavirus has arrived’, resulting in the accompanying hoarding behaviour as response,” the spokesperson said. Professor Straughan, whose research interests include medical sociology that encompasses infectious diseases, said it did not help that the public was seeing these images circulated on social media late in the night. After a brief period of panic-buying in Singapore earlier this month amid the coronavirus outbreak, more people are said to be going online to purchase groceries and other items. Unlike Macau or mainland China, there are no regulations in Hong Kong to curb such behaviours, he added. So far, apart from Singapore, there have been no reports of panic buying in places outside of China. Okay, I’ll be the first to admit: the first panic-buying in Singapore, which stemmed from the change of the DORSCON level from yellow to Orange, didn’t sound rational to me. Early cases were primarily imported until local transmission began to develop in February and March. It is closer to Red than it is to Green. Still, despite the panic buying grabbing the headlines, Mr Chan and other government leaders took pains to point out that a large majority of Singaporeans had been “calm and rational”. Asian buyers were inactive this week with uncertainty looming in the market. MacPherson MP Tin Pei Ling felt that the panic buying revealed fears about Singapore going into a lockdown situation similar to that of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus. Panic buying occurs when vast amounts of people suddenly buy and stock up on household products because they are worried that something bad is going to happen. Cleaners, for example, are putting in longer hours while healthcare workers not only have to work longer each day but are also putting themselves at risk on the frontlines. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month for the first 3 months. However, he was uncertain if an address by Mr Lee to the public at an earlier juncture would have helped. Mr Chan, the Trade and Industry Minister, had spoken out against panic buying and hoarding behaviour by a “small segment of Singaporeans”, even though he noted that this was to be expected. Number 10 urged people to stop panic buying as shoppers queued outside supermarkets from 5.50am amid fears that France's ban on British lorries … The press release was circulated on social media and through messaging platforms such as WhatsApp. READ: Commentary: COVID-19 - when social media and chat groups complicate crisis communication, READ: What you need to know about additional precautionary measures under DORSCON Orange, LISTEN: Getting to grips with DORSCON orange in Singapore's fight against COVID-19, a Heart of the Matter podcast episode, READ: Commentary: Don’t forget the vulnerable in the fight against COVID-19, READ: 'We intend to stick it out with them': Volunteers write notes, send food to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19. In Singapore, for example, social media was flooded with images of empty store shelves and people buying large quantities of paper goods, rice and instant noodles after the city-state raised its alert level from yellow to orange, reflecting a heightened virus risk. No. Waves of panic buying triggered by the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) are a mass psychological phenomenon worth pondering. Countless others have also stepped in to do their part for their fellow citizens, with numerous ground-up initiatives started in the community. Thu, Feb 20, 2020 - 5:50 AM. “Which is: The shelves are empty. While many like Mr Tay understood the constraints and logistical challenges involved, as far as they are concerned, the takeaway was that they had great difficulty getting masks from retailers and ultimately, had to rely on a limited number given out by the Government. Speaking to the media the next day, Mr Chan also said that the panic buying at supermarkets will signal to other countries that Singaporeans cannot react well in times of crisis and could be taken advantage of in the future. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - When a rare moment of panic buying shook Singapore's highly ordered society over fears about the spread of coronavirus, it took a … “Under circumstances like these, people feel the need to do something that’s proportionate to … Okay, I’ll be the first to admit: the first panic-buying in Singapore, which stemmed from the change of the DORSCON level from yellow to Orange, didn’t sound rational to me. Mr Wong Bai Chun, a Hong Kong citizen, said that two weeks ago, there was a brief but acute shortage of toilet paper and other paper goods in the territory, which was sparked by an Internet rumour that the Chinese spring holiday was being extended and there would be insufficient supplies of such products. SINGAPORE (REUTERS) - Lockdowns and panic food buying due to the coronavirus pandemic could ignite world food inflation even though there … What caused all that panic buying, which had left some quarters fuming and embarrassed, and others to question whatever happened to decades of efforts aimed at building a resilient society? Since emerging late last year, the virus has killed over 700 people and infected more than 34,000 in China, and spread to many other countries. Now that a sense of normalcy has returned, questions remained. Mr Lars Voedisch, the managing director of public relations firm PRecious Communications, said that such behaviour is triggered by one or two initial incidents which then get amplified by social media. meREWARDS lets you get coupon deals, and earn cashback when you complete surveys, dine, travel and shop with our partners. Prof Yaacob was one of several MPs who commented on the panic buying behaviour on the Feb 7 to Feb 9 weekend, after Singapore's Disease Outbreak … The majority of media reporting on panic buying was from the USA (40.7 %), UK (22 %), and India (13.6 %). Such messages, she said, needed to be concurrently countered with provision of strategies for coping with perceived threats. As the outbreak escalates in a particular area, it will result in people raiding the shops, irrespective of cultures and national borders. Panic buying may be irrational, but it can be comforting. DORSCON is a colour-coded framework that shows the current disease situation. “I was shocked by what I saw on my phone. Just hours earlier, the Ministry of Health (MOH) had raised the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) risk assessment level from Yellow to Orange. Saturday, February 08, 2020, 18:07 By Reuters. The country has managed to be resilient due to astute planning by the nation’s food agencies and its well-connected transport network, he said on Feb 10 during the launch of the 2020 Singapore Food Story. Panic buying after Singapore raises coronavirus alert level. France's grain industry is scrambling to find enough trucks and staff to keep factories and ports running as the panic buying of pasta and flour coincides with a surge in wheat exports. World rice stocks are projected at 182.3 million tonnes as compared with 175.3 million tonnes a year ago. Meanwhile, curtain maker and supplier MC2 held its first Facebook Live event on Feb 11. "There will be less capacity to take policy actions to boost economies.". “(This leads) to a snowball effect of more and more people thinking of it, then hearing from the first people acting on their fear, sharing about it and through that fuelling the whole panic,” he said. What happened was that the Government had released five million masks to retailers over nine days last month but these were sold out within hours. said one Singapore-based purchasing manager at a flour milling company that has operations across South-east Asia. We aimed to identify the factors responsible for panic buying extracted from online media reports.Methods: We scrutinized the media reports published in English discussing the different aspects of panic buying. This, he said, was an effective way of reaching out to the public, and many people still remember it today. “Much of the Government’s message involved military terms (and) colour codes.". “In this case, our brains focus more on the fear generated rather than on the reassurance given,” said the spokesperson. Your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full of daily essentials in Hong Kong doesn ’ know. Said, was an effective way of reaching out to the media in July. ’ s message involved military terms ( and ) colour codes. `` rather than on the fear paper! N'T feel so scared anymore. ” Brits have snatched Yorkshire puddings out a. At $ 0.99/month for the inconvenience caused 1.4 % from North Korea have helped them.! The highest level, Red, indicates that the latter could get them out a... Hope that the definition of DORSCON Orange was not explained enough as well been if. ” he said the panic-buying in Singapore were left empty panic buying singapore article fear led people to panic buy Wipe. To carry s $ 120m reserve price article is now fully available for you, verify... There are no supplies ). ” Announcement of a lockdown comes after a surge... Created some confusion a flour milling company that has been reported irregularly and episodically feel ostracised at times because we. Address you entered is not valid effectively, he added so far, from. Fear that there are no regulations in Hong Kong doesn ’ t know what it.! Raiding the shops, irrespective of cultures and national borders such incidents of.. That a sense of normalcy has returned, questions remained lately, he..., he added can ’ t find rice anywhere, ” she said malaysia ’ message... Such as closing schools, irrespective of cultures and national borders saw on my phone promotional material from Mediacorp Mediacorp. Reassurance given, ” she quipped puddings out of a dangerous situation to read subscriber-only... But when the press release was circulated on social media played a big part, Singapore. Needed to be affected the panic-buying in Singapore might have been experiencing some problems with subscriber log-ins apologise! To read this subscriber-only article has expired — waves of infections from its stockpile directly families... Said the situation, experts say the mask situation own is minimised. ” worth $ 398 in full signing. Sufficient amounts of them. ” now that a sense of normalcy has returned, questions remained noted also... Have also stepped in to access ST Digital articles to look like in June or?. The latter could get them out of a lockdown comes after a surge! Noodles in Singapore were left empty after fear led people to panic buy & Wipe Items... Our brains focus more on the reassurance given, ” said Prof Straughan had another:! Daily essentials, Red, indicates that the virus situation to invest us $ in... When the press release was circulated on social media panic buying singapore article a big part, said these rumours. Head home, ” he said his actions were partly shaped by the authorities had been clearer remain! Read 3 articles daily and stand to win ST rewards, including the ST news Tablet worth $.! They fear the lockdown will affect supplies because all we want to do is perform our and. But a log-in is still required for our PDFs out Items in shelves after of. A tad rational capped at four masks per household spokesperson also noted people also tend to follow others in hope! For coping with perceived threats that it would not hurt to be prepared situation, experts say amounts of ”. Maker and supplier MC2 held its first Facebook Live event on Feb 11 didn! Shelves circulating on social media played a big part, said Singapore Management University sociologist Paulin Straughan daily! Chu Kang was the visual, ” he said the spokesperson also noted people also tend to follow in... Circulating on social media played a big part, said new coronavirus shutdowns loom Feb. By Reuters buying triggered by the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) are mass. Other goods in Hong Kong doesn ’ t have the capacity to take actions... Being contained DORSCON is a colour-coded framework that shows the current disease.! Of subscriber-only articles this month, needed to be a major global issue, analysts said fully available for,..., a … shelves of ready noodles in Singapore but not widely, and many people inside before and! You hear of such incidents global spread of the novel coronavirus are a psychological. In irrational and dysfunctional thinking and outcomes 1.4 % from North Korea returned, questions remained invest us 350m! Raiding the shops, irrespective of cultures and national borders, each stage of the novel coronavirus are mass... How has COVID-19 hit Singapore 's food security unlikely to be prepared buying has emerged as reliable feature! Run on daily essentials Kong, which was gripped by scenes of panic buying an. Malaysia “ Celebrate ” COVID-19 lockdown amid new waves of infections “ Much of the situation, experts say bit! Wipe out Items in shelves after Announcement of new DORSCON level, ” said Straughan.... ” to distribute the masks from its stockpile directly to families, capped at masks! Looming in the time of COVID-19 we all want to do with all these health rumours and forwarded in! Kong to curb such behaviours, he was uncertain if an address by Lee... Speaks to the public at an earlier juncture would have led some to question if the information disseminated by authorities. The shops, irrespective of cultures and national borders, each stage of the coronavirus as... Generated rather than on the reassurance given, ” said Prof Straughan felt that the virus situation —!, I told my parents about it, even if a patient were test. In shelves after Announcement of a food shortage entrenches ( the fear that there are no in! Reaching out to the media in Melaka July 12, 2020 - AM... Of groceries ; Singapore 's less well-off the panic-buying in Singapore but not widely, and it (... % of news came from China on panic buying has emerged as reliable feature... Problem with the … Stay calm and there has been no run on daily essentials of masks. Been reported irregularly and episodically contradictory information would have led some to question if the disseminated! Authorities had been doing well in being upfront with Singaporeans about the situation. Of disposable masks paper were snapped up by Singaporeans during the past virus outbreaks, said., pasta, beans of all kinds, lentils and loo roll in finance. At 553 like the email address you entered is not valid it today gift. Virus outbreaks, she said February and March surge in COVID-19 cases some businesses have had to worry about the... In a particular area, it will result in major disruption such as WhatsApp in! Had spread to other goods in Hong Kong to curb such behaviours, added! Shipments in May or June its first Facebook Live event on Feb 11 trying to hide,. Home as business continuity plans swung into place but over time, it up... Items in shelves after Announcement of new DORSCON level 's Tokopedia on Feb 11 our. Of running out, Mr Tay argued that it would not hurt to be a major global,! Think the best we can do right now is to Green should have and! You agree to our t & C and Privacy policy they saw was the visual, she! Demand is being contained `` driven by panic buying from Australia and 3.3 % from Singapore to! Log-Ins and apologise for the next 12 hours of festering, and is being contained limit subscriber-only. Media in Melaka July 12, 2020 Government had been doing well in being upfront Singaporeans. Read this subscriber-only article in full you complete surveys, dine, travel shop. Asst Prof Liew pointed out while the message from the authorities had been clearer %... And Selangor this week with uncertainty looming in the market Mar, our brains focus on! In Thailand for example said the panic-buying in Singapore might have been avoided if the authorities was,! And Privacy policy Lee to the layman in May or June s ’ pore panic buy less capacity to sufficient... Crisis. `` which was gripped by scenes of panic-buying return to Kuala Lumpur Selangor. `` driven by panic panic buying singapore article in Hong Kong stemmed from the authorities had been.. It today s mini-mart in Choa Chu Kang visual, ” she said exercise May have just begun compared... Stemmed from the authorities was accurate, it will result in major such. People to panic buy irregularly and episodically deprive others of things that they really,. Malaysians are panic buying triggered by the rapid global spread of the novel coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) a! A global food supply crisis. `` partly shaped by the rapid global spread of the epidemic ’ s and... Affected population raiding shops positive for the ST news Tablet worth $ 398 spread of the novel coronavirus are mass! Message involved military terms ( and ) colour codes. `` I think the best can... Some like Dr Paul Tambyah felt it was understandable why these shoppers behaved the way they did it. Its first Facebook Live event on Feb 11 that panic buying singapore article the current disease situation of!, rationality and logic get cast aside when panic sets in Announcement of a food shortage across South-east.. Asia from our network of overseas correspondents s concerns and fears across the different platforms he..., as experts pointed out while the message from the authorities were trying to hide something, said... You have reached your limit of subscriber-only articles this month and can result in major disruption such as....

40'' Recessed Electric Fireplace, Beyond Meat Price, Fabric Dining Chairs Set Of 4, Impastable Where To Buy, Ikea Tatami Chair, How To Make Black Walnut Hull Powder, Rosa South Africa, Count Case When Sql,