Retailers begin rationing after virus panic-buying
●Pasta, tinned veg and sanitiser among items restricted by Asda and Waitrose
Several of Britain’s largest supermarket chains have rationed some essential household items and foods as a response to stockpiling linked to the coronavirus outbreak.
The decision came as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said preparations were under way to “scale up capacity” in Scotland’s health service to deal with the outbreak, including the use of empty hospital rooms.
School closures could also be ordered to slow down the spread of the virus. New guidance has also been issued to workers in Scotland, advising them to regularly wipe down keyboards and not to share food in the workplace.
A third person was last night confirmed to have died in the UK, a man in his 60s in Manchester.
Two new positive cases emerged in Scotland yesterday, taking the total to 18, but this is expected to rise rapidly in the days to come. Numbers in the UK jumped by the highest single day increase since the first case. A total of 273 cases were confirmed across the UK yesterday.
Tesco, the UK’S largest grocer, put a “bulk-buying restriction” in place over the weekend of no more than five items per customer on a number
of goods, including dried pasta, Uhtmilk, cleaning wipes and sprays and some tinned vegetables. The rules apply both for purchases online and in stores. Despite pictures on social media of empty shelves, the supermarket said the limit did not apply to toilet paper.
According to one survey, as many as one in ten households are stockpiling as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak and supermarkets have reported heavy demand in recent days.
Asda was restricting some types of hand sanitiser to two bottles per person, while several retailers are limiting sales on their websites. Morrisons was limiting online purchases of some hand wash and children’s medicines, while Waitrose put a cap on website items including antimicrobial wipes.
Online supermarket Ocado was restricting shoppers to two packets of toilet roll, two bottles of antibacterial gel and three bottles of Calpol, a painkiller for children. Sainsbury’s,
the UK’S second largest grocery chain, did not impose any purchasing limits.
Retail experts said they expected any shortages on shelves to be temporary as supermarket sand their supply chains respond to increased demand.
Andrew Potter, professor of logistics and transport at Cardiff Business School, said: “Whilst there might be empty shelves at the moment in the shops, over the next week or so we will see them replenish. The supply chain will start to deliver stuff through to the stores and hopefully this shortage will clear and everything will be back to normal.”
The ability of supermarkets to meet spikes in demand was also tested recently when consumers increased purchases before Brexit. About 10 per cent of households admitted they were building up stocks.
The Scottish Parliament is expected to pass emergency powers which would allow the closure of schools and railway stations.
Ms Sturgeon said the authorities were preparing for the shift from the containment to the delay phase after the virus becomes embedded in the community.
“There’s been a lot of talk about school closures and it’s clear that is one of the measures that has been implemented in other countries and it is one of several measures that could be considered here,” she said. “But I want to stress no decision has been taken on that.”
The First Minister admitted she expects a surge in cases in Scotland in the days and weeks ahead. She said it was important that the public continued to listen to guidance from health professionals in a bid to stop the spread of the virus.
“There is still lots we can do to try to contain the spread of the virus a bit longer,” she said.
“But when that ceases to be possible, there are actions that we can take to try to slow down the spread of the virus and crucially reduce the number of people who are going to be infected at any one time.
“That’s crucial because obviously the fewer people infected at any one time, the less the pressure will be on our National Health Service.
“That said, there is likely to be significant pressure on our National Health Service so we are also planning to scale up the capacity that it has to treat people.”
The vast majority of Scots who get the virus will not need hospital treatment, she said.
She said: “For the smaller number who need hospital treatment, the focus will be on making sure the NHS is equipped to provide that care and treatment.
“There’s a lot of work under way. It’s a serious situation but it is being taken very seriously too.”
Ms Sturgeon said the NHS had “escalation plans in place” for scenarios which increase demand for its services.
“The kind of things the NHS plans for is, yes, to if necessary postpone non-urgent treatment to ensure the capacity is there for more urgent cases – people who need hospital care,” she said.
“We are also looking at plans that will allow us to increase capacity – to increase not just general hospital capacity but increase intensive care and high dependency capacity as well.
“There are facilities that we can use that are perhaps not used routinely. You will have heard in recent times talk of perhaps encouraging, if necessary – and I keep stressing that – healthcare workers who have retired from practice to come back in so that we’ve got additional staff.
“It may require procuring additional equipment. The point I’m making is that there are plans in place that have been carefully refined and thought through right now.”
The Scottish Government has expanded its guidance on stopping the spread of coronavirus to include workplaces.
Compiled by Health Protection Scotland, it instructs people to routinely clean items which are regularly touched, such as phones and keyboards, ensure food is not left open for communal consumption and clean cutlery thoroughly, as well as continued instruction on basic hand cleaning.
Economy secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “[The advice] contains clear, practical guidance that will ensure workplace staff have the latest information about Covid-19 and how we can all help prevent it from spreading.”