KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Fears have triggered panic buying at supermarkets after Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced Monday that Malaysia is introducing comprehensive restrictive measures including closing shops and schools and imposing travel bans, in an effort to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A woman stands near empty shelves at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People do shopping at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] Shoppers walk past empty shelves at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] A shopper walks past empty shelves at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People do shopping at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People do shopping at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="900"] People do shopping at a supermarket in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early March 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)■[/caption]