People lined up at shops and supermarkets in Singapore, emptying supplies after the country raised the corona virus warning.

Singapore's government yesterday raised the alert of a new strain of coronary pneumonia virus (nCoV) to "orange" after recording 33 cases. Orange warning shows severe corona virus infection and can be easily transmitted from person to person.

The Singapore government's announcement has alarmed 5.7 million people, prompting them to flock to shops and supermarkets to stock up on items like rice, noodles and toilet paper from last night. "I am afraid that if the authorities raise the alert, we cannot go out," said a 50-year-old housewife.

Photos on social networks showed empty shelves at some supermarkets, strollers filled with instant noodles, toilet paper lined up at the checkout counter. However, some items such as meat, fish, fruit and wine remain.

The Singaporean government urges its people to remain calm. Commerce Minister Chan Chun Sing said people should not rush to stock up on supplies. "We are not at risk of missing essential foods and household items," Chan wrote on Facebook.

The "orange" warning level was announced by the Singapore government after many new cases of nCoV in the country did not arrive in China during the disease outbreak and were not linked to previous cases. The highest level in Singapore's disease warning scale is "red", just above the "orange" level.

To cope with nCoV, Singapore has banned entry for Chinese tourists or foreigners to China 14 days earlier, including those in transit.

The outbreak of acute pneumonia caused by nCoV began in Wuhan in December 2019 and has spread to all 31 provinces in China. Twenty-six countries and territories declared nCoV-positive patients, with more than 34,000 cases globally, leaving at least 724 deaths and 2,083 recovering by Feb. 8.

Countries with nCoV pneumonia patients. Click on image to see details.