Bandung City Government: The Lack Of Oxygen Stock Is Due To Panic Buying

Deputy Mayor of Bandung Yana Mulyana. (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Mayor of Bandung Yana Mulyana stated that the lack of oxygen stock in the community was caused by panic buying in the midst of increasing COVID-19 cases.

According to him, the current oxygen supply scheme is correct with 90 percent of the supply for medical needs and 10 percent for the community. However, he sees that there is now panic in the community to buy oxygen.

"Yes, so people are panic buying, someone suddenly buys (oxygen) cylinders, even though they don't need them yet", Yana said in Bandung, West Java, as reported by Antara, Monday, July 5.

In addition, a number of hospitals temporarily closed services at the COVID-19 Special Emergency Department (IGD) due to depleting oxygen stocks.

He assessed that oxygen cylinder providers have limited production capabilities. For this reason, he encourages these providers to increase their production capacity in order to adapt to current needs.

"The lack of oxygen is because many explosions of people come to the emergency room at the same time, while health facilities are just like that, health workers may even be reduced", said Yana.

He also appealed to people who are not too symptomatic not to go directly to the hospital in order to minimize the explosion of patients in the hospital.

"So that might what makes health facilities overcapacity", said Yana.

The term panic buying itself is a phenomenon when many people excessively buy a product or need because it is triggered by concern about something that is or will happen.