MANILA, Philippines — SM Supermarket on Friday assured the public that it will continue to keep its supermarkets well stocked with basic goods during the month-long “lockdown” of Metro Manila.
As the number of COVID-19 cases in the country soared to 52, Duterte on Thursday night ordered that Metro Manila be placed under “community quarantine” in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 which has been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization.
But even before Duterte’s announcement, grocery shoppers rushed to groceries to stock up on food and personal care items. This, despite the warning of the government not to engage in panic buying.
“We continue to stock our stores and place replenishment orders with our suppliers to ensure a steady supply,” SM Supermarket said in a statement.
“We also constantly refill our shelves at the selling area throughout the day,” it added.
But as for “high demand items” such as alcohol, SM Supermarket said it had to limit the purchase to only three bottles per transaction to accommodate all shoppers.
“The SM Markets will always do its best to service the community in these trying times,” SM Supermarkets has assured.