Supermarket shelves empty in Beijing as city rushes Covid quarantine centres

Daily cases of Covid across the country are hitting record numbers, with 32,695 reported on Friday.

Residents wait for their deliveries behind shelves outside a community in Beijing (Ng Han Guan/AP)

Residents of some parts of China’s capital have been emptying supermarket shelves and overwhelming delivery apps after the city government ordered faster construction of Covid-19 quarantine centres and field hospitals.

Uncertainty and scattered, unconfirmed reports of lockdowns in at least some Beijing districts have fuelled demand for food and other supplies, something not seen in the city for months.