'How to spread Wuhan': Youth puts drinks back on supermarket shelf after taking sips

They did it for a laugh, but their prank video soon started making its rounds on social media last week.

In the clip, a youth was seen taking sips of drinks in an NTUC FairPrice supermarket, putting the caps back on, and placing the bottles back on the shelf in the chilled drinks section.

His friend, filming the act, was heard asking him how the drinks tasted.

The video was then posted on Instagram Story with the caption 'how to spread Wuhan', a reference to the coronavirus outbreak.

While the youth and his friend had thought that their prank would be fleeting, copies of the clip started to emerge on Facebook and Twitter.

Now, the police are on the lookout for more information about the clip.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/thatsmyfairprice/posts/10157121684201409[/embed]

In an update on Feb 10, the supermarket chain wrote that the creators of the video have since made a public apology and clarified that they had removed the items from the shelves and paid for them.

Following the backlash the act had gotten on social media, one of the youths purportedly apologised: "We were indeed really childish and immature. I know most of you have tweeted that we should go to jail for this and we should be punished.

"But I really hope you guys can give us a second chance. We were really doing it out of stupidity and our own pleasure although I know it did not turned out as fun as it was to us. (sic)



"I really want to apologise to everyone affected by my video."

FairPrice also noted that the clip had caused unnecessary public alarm exacerbated by the current coronavirus situation.

It added that it would "work with the authorities on the necessary actions that need to be taken for this case," and asked the public not to circulate the video.

On Feb 7, shoppers swarmed several Fairprice outlets across the island in a bout of panic buying as Singapore raised its Disease Outbreak Response System Condition status to Orange.

They swept daily essentials such as rice, bread, canned food and toilet paper off the shelves. That very night, FairPrice's chief urged the public to be calm and reassured them that there was stock in the warehouses.

On Feb 9, the supermarket chain introduced limits on the purchase of paper products, rice, instant noodles and vegetables.

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lamminlee@asiaone.com

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