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No panic buying, please: Retail associations urge consumer restraint amid COVID-19 scare
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People buy staple food in anticipation of the Corona COVID-19 virus outbreak at Carrefour ITC Permata Hijau, South Jakarta, on Monday, March 2, 2020. (JP/Donny Fernando)
I
ndonesia’s retail and shopping center associations were urging consumer restraint after news about the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia triggered panic buying sprees.
The Indonesian Retailers Association (Aprindo) and Indonesian Shopping Centers Tenants Association (Hippindo) issued statements on Monday which assured their members’ that food and non-food supplies were going to be more than enough to fulfill regular demand and that they had also taken certain measures to ensure a constant supply in the case of prolonged panic.
“This overbuying sets a precedent for panic at a time when people need to remain calm as members of the public and extra consumer demands goes up,” said APRINDO chairman Roy N. Mandey.
Read also: Jakarta steps up efforts to tackle COVID-19 following two confirmed cases
“We have coordinated with producers, suppliers and distributor associations to ensure that supplies in anticipation of the people’s needs will be met,” said Hippindo chairman Budihardjo Iduansjah in a separate statement.
The associations were responding to a buying spree that notably included instant noodles and frozen food, triggered by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's announcement on Monday that two Indonesian women have contracted COVID-19 – the first confirmed cases in the country.
Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto told reporters that the women were being treated at Sulianti Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital (RSPI Sulianti Saroso) in Jakarta.
The world is on high alert over the novel coronavirus epidemic. Citizens have been advised to regularly wash their hands with soap and take care of their health as the best means of protecting themselves against the virus.
