Chengdu, the capital of Southwest China’s Sichuan province, locked down its 21.2 million residents at 6 p.m. Thursday to battle its current Covid-19 outbreak, leading to panic buying among residents in the hours prior to the order taking effect. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

A truck brings vegetables to the Jinhua Farmers’ Market in Chengdu on Thursday. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

Shoppers crowd the market. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

A vendor replenishes his stock of potatoes. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

A vendor sells frozen food out of his stall after selling out of other goods. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

An empty stall is seen at the market. During the lockdown, each household is allowed to send out one person per day to shop for necessities as long as they have a negative nucleic acid test result from the last 24 hours. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

A resident stands in a closed shopping center in Chengdu on Thursday. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

Security personnel close up the entrance of a building. Chengdu reported 103 new symptomatic and 47 asymptomatic local cases Thursday. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

Business suspension notices are pasted on a shopping mall entrance. Chengdu has found more than 20 transmission chains comprising over 900 cases since Aug. 12, local authorities said Thursday. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin

Traffic almost disappeared in parts of the city due to the restrictions. Chengdu officials also initiated four days of citywide testing Thursday. Photo: Li Congxun, intern reporter/Caixin