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Hong Kong shoppers clear shelves as panic grips a city struggling to cope with chaos of anti-government protests

  • Supermarkets, shopping centres and MTR stations all remain closed for second day

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People flock to a Wellcome supermarket store to stock up on food as anti-government protesters continue to rally in defiance of the anti-mask law. Photo: Felix Wong

Hong Kong shoppers emptied supermarket shelves and queued up at ATMs on Sunday as the city’s metro system remained half shut and major shopping centres stayed closed after chaos hit multiple districts in the city.

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While early-bird shoppers complained about having to queue for almost 45 minutes at cashiers at supermarkets, latecomers were confronted with almost empty shelves. Throughout the morning, social media was awash with pictures of supermarkets and grocery stores that appeared to have almost no stock.

In Mong Kok, a housewife, Mrs Ma, rushed to a Wellcome supermarket around midday on Sunday, only to find many of the shelves already empty.

“Staff said that they opened for a half day on Saturday and did not have time to stock up new supplies because of the chaos all over Hong Kong,” she said.

“I am not sure if people have overreacted. But I have never seen this in my life. It is like wartime. I saw people even stock up on toilet paper.”

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