Panicked shoppers in Hong Kong snapped up supplies like masks and toilet paper amid coronavirus fears and rumors about shipment cut-offs

Phlip Fong/AFP via Getty Images

Shoppers have cleared many supermarket shelves.

• People in Hong Kong have been raiding supermarkets and pharmacies for supplies from masks to toilet paper amid growing coronavirus fears and rumors that shipments could be cut off.
• Thousands of people in Hong Kong camped out overnight Tuesday to Wednesday to line up for masks. The line was reportedly about four kilometers long on Wednesday morning, according to the South China Morning Post.
• As speculation about possible supply holdups due to border closures flooded social media, panicked buyers cleared supermarket shelves of some essentials, like toilet paper and instant food.
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Hong Kong residents are rushing to buy crucial supplies as the first coronavirus-related death for the territory was confirmed and health workers strike for a full border closure.

People camped out overnight Tuesday to Wednesday after a company said it would release 6,000 boxes of surgical masks, according to the South China Morning Post. The line for masks reportedly stretched for about four kilometers long in the morning on Wednesday.

Hong Kong's government has blocked all but three border crossing points with mainland China, but health workers have gone on strike to demand a full border closure. The closures have spurred fear and speculation on social media that shipments could be cut off, causing a shortage of daily necessities.

According to Bloomberg, the government described the speculation as a "malicious act of spreading rumors," and food traders reassured residents that "there's absolutely no need to panic buy," the South China Morning Post reported. But still, buyers have continued to snap up essential items, toilet papers and instant food in particular, leaving shelves empty at local supermarkets.