This story comes to you from MPR News, a partner with Sahan Journal. We will be sharing stories between SahanJournal.com and MPRNews.org.
At the Shuang Hur Supermarket in St. Paul, huge bags of rice are typically stacked high along the entire front window. But lately, 25- and 50-pound bags of beloved jasmine rice are all gone.
Daisy Haung, whose family owns the supermarket, is standing by the empty pallets, explaining to customers when the next delivery truck should arrive.
Buyers — mostly Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese and Chinese — have been stocking up on rice over the past couple of weeks in anticipation of a COVID-19 community spread in Minnesota, Haung said. She thinks some of the customers were in the restaurant business, but others were building up rice reserves for their families.
“There was a week that people were buying five, 10, 15, 20 bags per person,” Haung said. “We had to set limits starting last Wednesday. It’s important that you have some stock on hand, but overstock, I think is not necessary. We have a lot of rice here in the United States.”
Her store is not alone. Across the Twin Cities, rice joins paper towels and hand sanitizer among the items in limited supply. And it’s not just Asian markets that are affected — Costco and restaurant suppliers are also facing questions about their empty shelves.
State health officials have advised people to make sure they have enough food, prescription drugs and cleaning supplies in their house in case they need to stay home for a couple of weeks. They’re also urging people not to gather in crowded areas, to take the necessary preventative measures, and to stay home when they’re sick.
On Wednesday, state health officials confirmed two more cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s tally up to five. They said patients in Olmsted and Ramsey counties are recovering at home. Also on Wednesday, the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic.
