Where's social distancing? Shoppers swarm Malaysia supermarket during CNY sale

Everyone loves a good deal but how far would they go to snap one up during the pandemic?

Some shoppers in Malaysia were recently filmed swarming a supermarket and jostling for drinks that were on sale for the upcoming Chinese New Year.

In video clips circulating on Facebook, a crowd could be seen grabbing cartons of Coca-Cola and piling them into their respective shopping carts. 

A man who filmed the scene said in Mandarin: "They're snatching the drinks, it looks like a robbery, so scary."

He mentioned that the soft drinks were going for RM20.88 (S$6.70), a likely reason why the items sparked a shopping frenzy in the Perak supermarket on Jan 7 morning.

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The clips soon caught the attention of the authorities, who said they're aware of the incident.

"A RM1,000 (S$323) compound notice was issued to the supermarket's management for breach of standard operating procedures for failing to ensure physical distancing," said Manjung district police chief Assistant Commissioner Police Nor Omar Sappi on Jan 9.

Personnel from the police and health ministry personnel also took statements from the supermarket's management on the same day.

Even though all Malaysian states have been moved to phase four of the National Recovery Plan (NRP), individuals are expected to obey the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which include social distancing. 

ALSO READ: Clips emerge online of people swarming supermarkets after Malaysia's lockdown announcement

amierul@asiaone.com