Panic Grips Hong Kong, Shoppers Clear Supermarket Shelves As Chaos Continues

Shoppers in a panic to pick up food and other essentials at Hong Kong supermarkets and food stores was the norm Sunday as the chaotic situation in the embattled city continues. Some shopping centers closed, the city’s public transportation systems were operating at about 50 percent of their normal capacity and long lines at ATM machines and grocery store aisles had people both worried and angry.

“Early bird” shoppers not used to long lines complained about waiting almost an hour at checkout lanes, but they fared better than later shoppers who were met with empty shelves and even closed doors.

A typical experience was related by a housewife named Mrs. Ma who rushed to a Wellcome supermarket around midday Sunday, only to discover many of the shelves already empty. She told the South China Morning Post, “Staff said that they opened for a half-day on Saturday and did not have time to stock up new supplies because of the chaos all over Hong Kong. I am not sure if people have overreacted. But I have never seen this in my life. It is like wartime. I saw people even stock up on toilet paper.”

Another shopper in Wan Chai, one of the more affluent districts in Hong Kong, blamed the anti-government protesters. She asked, “Can’t they just protest peacefully? Why must they turn Hong Kong upside down to make their point heard? We are only laymen and we have our life to live. … I have been walking around the area for half an hour and could not find a supermarket that was open.”

The reason for the increased rioting and unrest stems from Chinese backed Chief Executive Carrie Lam and the local government announcing an “anti-mask” law as part of their decision to invoke “emergency powers."

History will likely judge the decision to ban the masks as a colossal mistake. Instead of quelling the violence it has only made the protesters angrier as they take to the streets causing more unrest.

Demonstrators have used face masks to conceal their identities in increasingly violent protests that have roiled the city for four months. One of the more prominent masks seen on social media looks like a smiling Asian male with black hair and a Salvador Dali like mustache with an added goatee.

The only “winner” so far is a convenience store chain called Circle K that has a store in Causeway Bay, described as “Hong Kong’s energetic retail heart." A rival 7-Eleven store, known for staying open even during typhoons, closed because of the unrest. The Circle K shop assistant, Jim Chan, said, “People just keep coming in. You know, 7-Eleven shops closed. We are neutral and do not care much about black clothes or white clothes. We serve all customers.”