Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike’s call for residents to stay indoors this weekend has sent people rushing to supermarkets to stockpile food and other essentials.
On Thursday morning, a day after she made the request, the U-Takaraya supermarket near Koenji Station was unusually crowded with shoppers holding baskets full of groceries. Shelves were cleared of bottled water, meat, cup ramen and spaghetti. Long lines snaked around in the already cramped aisles of the store. There was even a scuffle when a man yelled at another shopper for apparently cutting in line.
A fish salesman lamented that the lines left him no room to restock.
“So I gave up,†he said. A saleswoman who was busy filling empty shelves was surprised at the speed at which products sold out.
The shopping spree was sparked by the governor’s plea on Wednesday, in which Tokyo residents were asked to refrain from going out this weekend for nonessential travel to prevent the new coronavirus infections from spreading further. The previous Monday, Koike had hinted at the possibility of issuing a citywide lockdown if there is an explosive surge in cases. On Wednesday alone, Tokyo reported 41 new infections after resetting its high for three days straight.
