SHENZHEN’S market regulator has mobilized businesses to ensure material supplies and carry out inspections after new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported Friday, Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

According to the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision and Regulation Bureau, it actively mobilized 10 large supermarket chains like Vanguard, Rainbow and Walmart, as well as four major fresh produce e-commerce platforms such as Dingdong Maicai, MissFresh and Pupu to maintain material supplies and pay close attention to market supply.

Recently, the bureau said it has inspected large supermarkets, pharmacies and fresh produce stores near COVID-related communities, focusing on the supplies and prices of daily necessities such as vegetables, meat, grains and oil, masks, alcohol and other protective items.

The inspections showed that supermarkets’ supplies of daily necessities are normal, and the demand has increased to a certain extent compared with normal times. The supermarkets’ operators have increased order quantity and exerted every effort to ensure the supply and price stability of daily necessities.

In pharmacies, supplies of alcohol, masks and other anti-epidemic materials are sufficient and prices are stable. Some products in small fresh produce stores near communities have been sold out and law enforcement officers have asked shopkeepers to increase supply.

The bureau warned that whoever fabricates or disseminate price increase information, drives up prices, hoards goods to make a profit, and promotes rapid and excessive price hikes shall be fined up to 3 million yuan (US$470,400).

(Zhang Yu, Zhang Yingxi)