Jakarta residents were taking no chances yesterday, stocking up on hand sanitisers, instant noodles and even turmeric for home cold remedies after Indonesia's first two cases of the coronavirus were confirmed.

At the Giant Hypermarket in a working-class suburb of Pamulang - to the capital's south, near where the infections were detected - shelves that once held these items were bare.

"I am worried about running out of food and prices going up if people go crazy and can't stop hoarding," said Ms Ani, 43, a housewife.

At Reni Jaya market, turmeric and ginger were in short supply as some residents like Ms Meidella Syahni, 31, a journalist, stocked up on the key ingredient for jamu - a bitter-tasting elixir that is prized for fending off colds. "Usually, I spend 12,000 rupiah (S$1.20) for the ingredients, but today, I spent 20,000 rupiah," she said.

For weeks, Indonesia's government told its citizens there were no coronavirus cases. But this week, officials traced contacts for a Japanese visitor who tested positive for the virus in Malaysia to a 64-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter in the suburb of Depok.

The development sparked panic buying in some parts of the capital. Chat groups on messaging apps and social media lit up with images of shoppers pushing carts piled high with sacks of rice, toilet paper and instant noodles.

President Joko Widodo yesterday warned against panic buying, saying there were plenty of supplies of basics such as rice and medicine to go around. He said he had ordered chief of police Idham Azis to crack down on unscrupulous hoarders.

"The community does not have to stock up on daily necessities because that leads to shortages," Mr Joko said. "The government guarantees the availability of all goods and medicines."