Residents throng supermarkets before shelter-in-place order takes effect in Ho Chi Minh City

A large number of residents in Ho Chi Minh City flocked to local supermarkets early on Sunday morning to stock up on supplies in preparation for a shelter-in-place mandate that will take effect for two weeks on Monday.

According to the observation of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporters, residents had gathered at Co.opmart Chu Van An Supermarket in Binh Thanh District hours before the venue was open.

There were so many customers that they had to queue up on the sidewalk in front of the supermarket as well as on a nearby bridge.

Nguyen Van Tho, a local, said he arrived at the venue at 6:00 am, while the opening time was 7:30 am.

Tho added he would buy enough supplies for the next two weeks.

At a food store on Le Quand Dinh Street in Binh Thanh, customers began lining up at around 5:00 am, two hours before the shop opened.

A local stated that she had come to this store on Saturday. As it was overcrowded with buyers, she decided to go home and come back early on Sunday morning.

A similar situation was also recorded at supermarkets and facilities that sell bread, food, and groceries in other districts.

“I’m planning to spend VND3 million [US$131] on food and supplies for my family of four,” Nguyen Thuy Ngoc Tram, 16, said while waiting in front of Co.opmart Nguyen Kiem in Phu Nhuan District.

“I will buy some for my aunt in Go Vap District as well, as she has had a difficult time doing so.”

The shopping was even more excruciating for people who travel on motorbikes as they were stuck in front of parking lots.

The municipal authorities have asked people to stay where they are from August 23 to September 6, underlining “each home, company, and factory should be an anti-virus fort.”

The shelter-in-place order came as the most assertive measure yet that authorities have taken to curb the serious pandemic.

The city has undergone various levels of social distancing since May 31, but daily infections are still in the thousands, with cases detected in the community on the rise over the past days.

As of Sunday morning, Vietnam had documented 336,707 COVID-19 cases, with 140,087 recoveries and 7,540 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has detected 332,626 domestic infections in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities since the fourth wave began on April 27

Ho Chi Minh City leads the table with 171,801 cases.