Maintaining supplies and social order in the time of an epidemic

The Ministry of Commerce pledged to guarantee an adequate supply of commodities at a news conference on Wednesday, following reports of panic buying after the novel coronavirus outbreak. The ministry also addressed consumer concerns, while advocating rational consumption in light of the epidemic.

Several media organizations have reported panic buying of food, vegetables, masks and disinfectants, resulting in temporary shortages in supply. Panic buying is understandable during an epidemic situation, as the public fears a possible shortage of supplies should the crisis persist for long.

But the public should realize that such panic buying can adversely affect people's livelihoods. Their action could disturb the market order, worsen shortages and hasten panic, which can, in turn, impede epidemic control efforts.

As the world's second-largest economy, with sufficient production and market supply capacity, China is confident of meeting people's needs. According to the ministry, China's total grain output touched a historic high of 664 million metric tons last year, which also saw steady growth in production and supply of beef, mutton, egg, vegetables and fruit.

Even local authorities have made great efforts to guarantee supply of essentials, despite the epidemic. For instance Wuhan in Hubei province has enough rice and cooking oil supplies to meet citizens' needs for at least 15 days and Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, has more than 20,000 tons of vegetables in government reserves. Besides, the authorities have actively distributed essentials where required.

Also, the National Development and Reform Commission coordinated with the vegetable production base at Shouguang in Shandong province to provide 350 tons of fresh vegetables to Wuhan on Wednesday. In the next 10-15 days, Shouguang will supply another 600 tons of vegetables daily to Wuhan.

Panic is harmful during an emergency; keeping calm and being rational is required to brave any outbreak. The battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak requires the joint efforts of everyone in society. The public should be confident of the authorities' determination to guarantee supplies, and the authorities should actively monitor supply and crack down on malicious hiking of prices to maintain social order during an epidemic.