The Singapore government announced this afternoon that it has raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) from Yellow to Orange.
And it has prompted some Singaporeans to take disease outbreak preparedness to extreme levels.
One can see photos of people clearing the shelves of food circulating online on social media across some parts of Singapore this evening.
Chan Chun Sing: Behavior of hoarding items create undue panic
And this is unhelpful to the situation at hand, says Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.
Chan said that while he understands that people are concerned with DORSCON Orange, Singaporeans must exercise individual responsibility and not hoard items unnecessarily.
Hence, Chan urged Singaporeans to stay alert but remain calm and collected, as "collective defence is our strongest defence".
Chan also explained that the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) is in close contact with the retailers.
He assured Singaporeans that Singapore's supply lines for essential supplies like rice or instant noodles are intact and there is no risk of us running a shortage of essential food or household items.
Moreover, he added that Singapore has its national stockpile for essential items.
This is also echoed by Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who shared Chan's post.
NTUC CEO: No need to buy and stock up as we have supplies
In a Facebook post, FairPrice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng said that there are available stocks in their warehouses and they are looking to send them to the stores.
He also “(called) for calm”, saying that the supply of daily essentials remains available and will be dispatched.