LOOK: Long Lines at Supermarkets Hours Before MECQ

(SPOT.ph) President Rodrigo Duterte announced on Sunday, August 2 just before midnight that Metro Manila, Laguna, Rizal, Cavite, and Bulacan are reverting to Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine from August 4 to 18. This gives people 24 hours to get everything they need before public transportation suspends operations, and before malls and stores impose strict measures for entry. As expected, long queues were seen inside and outside supermarkets as people resort to panic-buying a day before the modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

The Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association Inc., a group of independent grocery stores, pointed out the struggle of this one-day adjustment period from general community quarantine to MECQ. "Caught unaware of this sudden development over a weekend, suppliers and retailers can never be prepared to handle expected additional demand from the buying public. We are immediately faced with the double whammy of having to scrounge for additional employees to service increase in demand versus absences from existing employees due to lack of transport to take them to our establishments. One-day announcements are disruptive for business, which are dealing with a host of other problems," the group said to The Philippine Star on August 3.

Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, in a tweet on August 3, clarified that "ATMs [and] groceries will still be open" after observing that people are panic-buying. Even so, it looks like most Filipinos would rather stock up on goods right now.

Check out these scenes in supermarkets from around the Metro:

No caps lock, no passion.

Some had to go out for a quick grocery run, even if it's a work day.

Others thought they can enjoy a rest day. Guess that's not happening.

Long queues have returned.

But still, physical distancing needs to be strictly observed.

Even grocery carts started running out.

A pet owner knows his/her priorities.

Everyone's just lining up, hoping to stock up on groceries.

It's the same situation in a lot of supermarkets.

Today's scenarios summed up.

Main photo by Ashley Martelino taken June 26, 2020; for illustrative purposes only

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