The coronavirus outbreak has caused a shortage of face masks in some countries, with some people saying it is currently the most sought-after item in the world.

To Shannon Liu, the news presenter of Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, it is more valuable than gold.

On Thursday night (Feb 20), the 42-year-old wrote on Weibo: "I lock up my remaining face masks in the safe before leaving home as I am worried that they will be stolen."

Several netizens said that she has more face masks than them, while one netizen wondered if there would be people who steal face masks. There was a recent case in Hong Kong where toilet rolls were stolen by armed robbers.

Liu, who won Phoenix TV's Best News Anchor award in 2011, continued in the Weibo post that she has not returned to work since Chinese New Year due to the virus outbreak. She felt bored at home and decided to drop by her office.

She noticed that the canteen in the company was relatively deserted, as staff were banned from eating at the same table to prevent cross infections. She also noted that the buffets in the canteen have been replaced by set meals to prevent staff from interacting.

Taiwan-born Liu, who joined Phoenix TV in 2004, was in the news in 2014 after she suffered a sudden cerebral haemorrhage at her home in Hong Kong.

Doctors were initially concerned that she would be in a vegetative state, but she made a full recovery in 2017 and returned to work the same year.