02413: Artificial Quarantine Scarcity

Metro Manila Community Quarantine - Day 07

Today we made supply runs to bolster our stock levels. Rather than try queueing at Rustan's Marketplace or Robinson's Selections, Tobie tried driving over to SM Supermarket at SM Aura and had relatively better luck there. Meanwhile, I visited my parents for the weekly check-up and medicine refill, so in essence, we helped with the needs of two different households today.

As much as things like groceries are still allowed to operate despite the quarantine in effect over all of Luzon, the way stores are stocked is telling of logistical challenges all across the food supply chain. It's next to impossible to find basics like bread and eggs in convenience stores and even groceries and we're just wrapping up the first week of the quarantine.

There are a lot of headlines related to problems that food-related companies are experiencing as different checkpoints and quarantine enforcers have been blocking non-foodstuffs that play a role in food production like the labels for packages or the tins for canned goods. The government is still trying to figure out these "logistical hiccups" as best they can, but in the meantime, factories are actually shutting down as they are unable to produce goods.

Crazy times.

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