Since Malaysia announced its lockdown on Mar. 16, droves of people have once again made their way to supermarkets to bulk-buy necessities.
In the latest development, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has just assured Singaporeans that the flow of food supply will not be disrupted by the lockdown order in Malaysia.
Lee spoke to the Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on the phone in the afternoon of March 17:
Prior to that, Speaker Tan Chuan Jin and Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing have assured Singaporeans about the nation's food security.
Earlier on, NTUC FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng also took to Facebook to share more about the situation at local supermarkets.
Queues were "orderly"
Seah said it had been a "long night and early start" for his team. He shared that he had observed long queues, but that the situation at supermarkets was "orderly" and "not chaotic".
He added that purchase limits on certain new items like eggs, vegetables and fresh poultry—which are imported from Malaysia—have been imposed early this morning (Mar. 17).
Meanwhile, existing restrictions on items like instant noodles, rice and toilet paper which were previously imposed after Singapore reached DORSCON Orange, remain in place.
Despite the restrictions, the amount that individuals are allowed to purchase should be adequate for each household.
More supply runs
Seah said that FairPrice was replenishing its stocks from its various Distribution Centres.
More supply runs are also being carried out to the various supermarkets, and Seah explained that time was needed before these items reach the stores.
"Housekeeping will not be at the usual standards," he said.
He also assured Singaporeans that FairPrice had diverse sources of supplies to ensure prevent over-reliance on one source during potential crises.
"As Minister Chan Chun Sing has said, we have been diversifying our sources of supply so that we are not overly dependent on any one source. At the same time for certain categories, we have been deliberately and carefully building up the inventory holding in our warehouses. This remains an ongoing process."
For example, Singapore imports its eggs from 11 countries, including Malaysia.
In a statement by FairPrice on its Facebook, the organisation affirmed to customers that there were sufficient stocks.
Ensuring a stable food supply through stockpiling is also crucial, as Singapore imports 90 per cent of its food from overseas.
Huge stockpiles of food are housed in secret warehouses that look like any commercial warehouses, around the island.
Thanked everyone for buying sensibly
Seah continued to thank the people for their encouraging words to his staff, and for "buying sensibly and encouraging others to do the same".
"Thanks too to all my fellow MPs for reaching out last night and today to assure public and customers. We are all in this together and we will get get through this together too."
You can read his full post here.