Retailers in Hanoi said they have made plans to boost stockpiles by 300% if necessary to meet the demands of local people amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung (standing) on March 19
has a meeting with local retailers regarding the current reserves and supplies of goods
in the city. (Photo: VNA)

It was revealed during a March 19 meeting between Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and local retailers regarding the current reserves and supplies of goods in the city, which has seen a growing number of new infections since the beginning of this month.

Representatives of the retailers said they have discussed with suppliers ways to keep their shelves stocked during the outbreak. Meanwhile, the municipal Department of Industry and Trade has developed a four-tier stockpiling plan to make sure there are enough goods available for people and to supply to those in quarantine.

The department and retailers intend to spend around VND174 trillion (US$7.42 million) to double the stockpile of essential products in the second quarter of this year, which will include 557 tonnes of grain, 111 tonnes of pork, 32 tonnes of chicken, 619 tonnes of vegetables, 31 tonnes of aquatic products and 31 tonnes of processed food.

They will also provide about 234 million anti-bacterial masks, 18.36 million medical masks and over 123.9 million rolls of toilet paper to the market.

At the meeting, Chung urged Hanoians to stay calm and avoid panic-buying since supermarkets in the city will work to keep goods in stock with unchanged prices under any circumstances.

He also requested the municipal Department of Transport to facilitate vehicles transporting foods to the city while the Department of Health was tasked to provide supermarket staff with protective gear to minimise exposure.