Update
Woolworths announced this morning it will introduce a "dedicated shopping hour" for the elderly and those with a disability from tomorrow as supermarkets continue to struggle to keep up with extra demand caused by fears over coronavirus.
Woolworths said it would open its stores exclusively from 7am to 8am from tomorrow until at least Friday to "help support the needs of the elderly and people with disability in the community".
It comes after supermarkets struggled over the weekend to keep up with unprecedented demand for many grocery items as people stock up or panic buy amid fears from the worsening coronavirus situation.
Coles and Woolworths brought in new shopping limits on some items as the impact of the worsening coronavirus situation continues in the form of empty supermarket shelves in St George and Sutherland Shire.
Shoppers reported larger than normal crowds in supermarkets across St George and Sutherland Shire as people stock up on items in readiness for possible self-isolation or quarantine measures.
Toilet paper remains the most difficult item to find in stores, selling out as soon as it hits shelves, along with hand sanitiser, which remains largely out of stock.
Non-perishable staples such as rice and pasta are largely missing from shelves, while canned and frozen food is also beginning to disappear from shelves, along with anything that can be frozen, such as mince.
Earlier
Coles and Woolworths have brought in new shopping limits on some items as the impact of the worsening coronavirus situation continues in the form of empty supermarket shelves in St George and Sutherland Shire.
With crowd restrictions and stricter self-isolating measures coming into place, worried shoppers took to supermarkets over the weekend to stock up, leading to shores of many additional items.
Coles late on Friday evening emailed its Flybuys customers to outline new restrictions "as the situation around coronavirus continues to develop".
"From Saturday, we will limit the purchase of pasta, flour, dry rice, paper towels, paper tissues and hand sanitisers to two items per customer. We will also be introducing some additional limits on certain items in each store," the email said.
But by Sunday afternoon, Coles added mince to the list, with shoppers allowed two packs.
Toilet paper, if available, is limited to one pack, but shelves remain largely empty.
Woolworths also emailed its Rewards members on Saturday to address supply issues.
"Demand is still very high and products are being bought more quickly than usual when they arrive in store," the email said.
"To help everyone access the essential things they need, limits are now in place on toilet paper, wipes, paper towels, serviettes, rice and some other items."
Woolworths said it had partnered with Meals On Wheels to begin delivering toilet paper directly to seniors in need from Saturday, and had increased cleaning measures at its stores.
"We've added an extra four hours of proactive deep cleaning in each supermarket every day."
The latest measures come almost two weeks after residents began facing shortages of toilet paper and non-perishable items as supermarkets struggled to keep up with increased demand caused by panic over the worsening coronavirus situation.
Non-perishable items such as rice, pasta, tinned and frozen food were stripped from shelves, along with medicines, cleaning products, toilet paper, tissues, wipes and hand sanitiser.
