Xining moves to ensure food supply

The government of Xining, capital of Qinghai province, is working to increase the food supply for residents and to stabilize prices after placing the city under static management due to new cases of COVID-19, local authorities said.

The city's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Agricultural Products Distribution Center, a major supplier of fresh food, was closed after three cases were reported on Oct 20.

Xining reported 75 locally transmitted infections, including 70 asymptomatic carriers, on Wednesday.

The city, with a population of about 2.47 million, announced temporary static management on Oct 21, asking residents in its main urban areas to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus.

Locals have reportedly complained it was difficult to buy vegetables and meat, and that price gouging was taking place.

Chen Xiaoping, director of Xining's commerce bureau, said at a news conference on Wednesday that the closure of the distribution center, where the latest outbreak started, has led to a lack of food.

The government has set up a temporary wholesale point in the west of the distribution center to deal with over 1,000 metric tons of vegetables daily, although the supply of fruit is still challenging, Chen said, adding that four temporary wholesale markets have been newly built.

By Tuesday, the city had an inventory of 580 tons of vegetables, and other necessities, which can meet the demands of residents, according to the commerce bureau.

Currently, 39 fresh food markets, 36 supermarkets and 161 vegetable outlets are open in urban areas. Over 300 trucks are bringing vegetables to residents at their communities every day. However, due to a shortage of labor, efficiency still needs to be increased, she said.

Chen attributed the price rises to Xining being located on a high plateau, and about 80 percent of vegetables are transported from outside. Because of traffic management due to the outbreaks in many regions, vehicles face long waits, so costs have surged sharply.

Inspection groups have been set up to monitor prices and crack down on illegal behaviors such as hoarding and price gouging, local authorities said. On Wednesday afternoon, three vegetable stores were punished for profiteering.

To respond to several cases of overly high-priced vegetables reported by netizens recently, Xining conducted an investigation and released a notice on Thursday.

A netizen posted a photo of a Chinese cabbage priced at 49 yuan ($6.80). The notice said a worker had placed a barcode for lotus root in the wrong place. The supermarket apologized and refunded the customer.

The city government has put in place a hotline for consumer complaints, and said it has zero tolerance for those exploiting the current situation.

The government of Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, also faced complaints from residents for not providing basic supplies recently.

The city reported five locally transmitted confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 20 asymptomatic carriers on Wednesday. It has 11 high-risk areas where residents have been asked to stay home, and 39 medium-risk areas where people have been asked to stay in their communities.

Some residents said they have had to wait for a long time to receive takeouts or deliveries.

The epidemic prevention and control headquarters said it is allowing the normal operation of supermarkets and fresh markets, and that couriers are allowed to enter and exit controlled areas with a 24-hour negative test result.

The city, with a population of 12.74 million, has an inventory of 400,000 tons of meat, eggs, vegetables, fruit and edible oil, officials said.