Supermarkets Coles and Woolworths reintroduce shopping limits after coronavirus spike leads to panic buying in Melbourne - and it's not just toilet paper that's affected
- Coles and Woolwroths have reintroduced buying limits for products in Victoria
- Shoppers will once again only be able to buy four packets of toilet paper
- Victoria recorded an additional 20 cases of COVID-19 infection on Wednesday
- Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said 241 cases are community transmission
- Victoria could bring back stay at home orders for coronavirus hotspots
Coles and Woolwroths have reintroduced shopping limits on products in Victoria due to a spike in panic buying.
Shoppers will once again only be be restricted on how much toilet paper they can buy in supermarkets across the state.
A Woolworths spokesman said the company had reimposed a two item limit on a number of essential items across its Victorian stores on Wednesday afternoon.
The limits apply to toilet paper, hand sanitiser, paper towel, flour, sugar, pasta, mince, life-long milk, eggs and rice. The limits will also apply to online order.
The move comes as concerned residents strip some stores of the essential items as they face the possibility of mandatory lockdown amid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in outer-suburban Melbourne
There was an additional 20 cases confirmed on Wednesday. An 80-year-old man also died on Tuesday night from COVID-19 in Victoria.
Shoppers at Broadmeadows stock up on supplies amid fears they could soon be placed in lockdown
Shelves at Coles in Taylor's Hill in Melbourne are stripped of product on Tueswday as panic buying takes hold after new outbreak of COVID-19
Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said the company understands many Victorians are anxious about the recent community outbreak.
He said they can be assured their stores will remain open with plenty of stock.
'While we have healthy stock levels to draw on, we're taking this precautionary step to help prevent excessive buying and support appropriate social distancing in our Victorian stores.
'We have more than enough product for all of our customers if we all just buy what we need in our weekly shop.
'We'll closely monitor demand across Victoria in the coming days and look to wind back the limits as soon as we can.'
A Coles spokesman said the company is implementing a number of temporary measures to improve the availability of key food and grocery items in our Victorian supermarkets and to help our customers shop safely.
Coles Group CEO Steven Cain asked that customers continue to shop normally so that everyone can have access to the food and groceries they need
The move is in response to 'significantly elevated demand seen over the past 24 hours in certain parts of Melbourne'.
Victorian Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said they 'won't rule out' reintroducing stay at home orders for coronavirus hotspots.
'Our government has said that if the public health advice from our experts is to reintroduce stay at home legal directions, in particular locations we will consider doing that,' Ms Mikakos told ABC Radio National Breakfast.
'Clearly some people think the pandemic is over. It's not over. We want people to remain at a heightened sense of awareness about physical distancing.'
On Tuesday, tensions were already on the rise in COVID-19 hot spots from Melbourne's west to east.
One Brimbank resident told Daily Mail Australia he had heard about people stockpiling again on morning radio and had come down to the shops to grab some rolls before they vanished.
Reports spread quickly that a local shopping centre within the same municipality had already run out of the product.
Australians have been warned to stay away from six council in Melbourne: Hume, Casey and Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin
A toilet paper shelf at Woolworths in Hillside was almost empty after shoppers scrambled to get their hands on a packet
'I'm not getting caught out again,' the man said.
He could later be heard calling family members telling them to stock-up as soon as possible.
Others worried when hoarders might start stockpiling other products.
The six hotspots have been identified as the local government areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin.
Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said seven new COVID-19 cases are linked to known outbreaks, one was detected in hotel quarantine, nine were discovered through routine testing and three other cases are under investigation.
Mr Sutton said 241 cases in the state have been transmitted through the community.
'That's an increase of eight since yesterday. That number has been around 10 every day, but a decrease of eight is somewhat encouraging,' he said.
'It certainly means we're not getting an increase or an exponential increase in community transmission cases day-by-day.
A shopper does his grocery shopping at Endeavour Hills shopping
A woman carries a packet of toilet paper through Brimbank shopping centre on Monday
'But there are 141 active cases in Victoria, over 1,000 close contacts.'
Mr Sutton said the elderly man died on Tuesday evening but he was unable to give further details in respect of the family's request for privacy.
The death is the first in Australia in a month, taking the national toll to 103.
Three caravan parks on the Great Ocean Road announced they would cancel bookings from travellers who reside in COVID-19 hotspots before retracting the ban.
A statement shared to websites for the Lorne Foreshore, Torquay Foreshore and Anglesea Family caravan parks said the cancellations would apply to all bookings up until Monday July 13.
'To protect the health and safety of our staff, visitors and coastal communities, we will not be taking upcoming bookings, and will be cancelling all current bookings, from guests that live in the identified hotspot council areas of Hume, Casey, Brimbank, Moreland, Cardinia and Darebin,' the statement reads.
'We will not be lifting these restrictions until the Victorian Government advises that community transmission in these areas is under control.
'We regret that we have had to make this decision, but we must do everything we can to protect our staff, visitors and small coastal communities at this time.'
An updated statement on Wednesday said the restrictions for caravan park guests living in hotspot areas had been updated.
Pictured: A long queue of cars wait at a drive-through COVID-19 testing site in Melbourne on Tuesday
'We made the decision based on what we thought was best for our staff, guests and local communities,' it reads.
'We have now updated our decision based on advice from the Chief Health Officer and will welcome all guests, including our TMPs back into our parks.
'But please remember, if you feel unwell you should stay at home. If you have symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19), however mild, you should get tested. It's up to all of us to make this work.'
Health Minister Greg Hunt said the message remained the same and that Australians should continue to keep their distance.
'It is vitally important. It can save your life, it can protect your life,' he said.
who let the sheep out again?
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