NTUC Fairprice placing limits for amount of rice, instant noodles & toilet paper each shopper can buy

No need to stockpile on supplies as there's enough to go around.

Kayla Wong | February 09, 2020, 01:02 PM

All NTUC Fairprice outlets across Singapore are limiting each shopper to four packs of paper products, two bags of rice, and four bundle packs of instant noodles.

The $50 limit for vegetables per customer also remained in place.

Announced on Sunday

The quota was announced in a notice put up on Sunday morning, Feb. 9.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1362"]Image Image via jo/Twitter[/caption]

The announcement comes in the wake of a surge in demand for daily essentials, such as personal hygiene products, after the DORSCON level was raised to Orange.

Fairprice Xtra at Jem (Image by Kayla Wong)

Fairprice Xtra at Jem (Image by Kayla Wong)

Fairprice Xtra at Jem (Image by Kayla Wong)

Image by Martino Tan

Enough supplies to go around

Fairprice Group CEO Seah Kian Peng has called for calm, saying the supply of daily necessities remain available and will be dispatched.

He added that there were more than 9 million toilet rolls, about 1.2 million packs of instant noodles, and more than 4 million kg of rice in its distribution centres, CNA reported.

Therefore, there is no need to stockpile on supplies, he said.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his speech last night that the real test of the coronavirus outbreak will be to Singapore’s social cohesion and psychological resilience.

He said that although fear and anxiety are natural human reactions, fear can do more harm than the virus itself.

PM Lee noted that fear can make the public panic, or do things which makes matters worse, such as circulating rumours online, hoarding face masks or food, or blaming particular groups for the outbreak.

Top image adapted via Fasiha Nazren & jo/Twitter