Tesco has begun rationing the amount of pasta, baked beans and hand sanitiser per customer to stop shelves being stripped amid coronavirus fears.
In a move to ensure the supermarket has enough supply, they have decided to limit the amount of dry pasta, UHT milk and baked bean tins that each customer can purchase.
As well as the frequently purchased disaster goods, the store has decided to limit antibacterial gels, wipes, sprays and children’s cold medicine, Calpol.
Tesco confirmed that shoppers would be limited to five items on Saturday, adding that they would apply to online orders from tomorrow.
The decision comes after shoppers were seen stripping supermarket aisles bare across the country, with footage emerging of frantic stockpilers pushing trolleys piled high with toilet rolls and forming huge queues.
The panic sweeping UK supermarkets this weekend comes as the country saw its highest daily jump in coronavirus cases on Saturday, leaping by 45 to a total of 209.
The Department of Health confirmed that cases in mainland Britain rose by 42 early on Saturday, before officials in Northern Ireland revealed another three cases on Saturday evening.
Overall, there are 184 confirmed cases in England, 16 in Scotland, seven in Northern Ireland and two in Wales.
The update comes as an expert microbiologist warned the deadly coronavirus outbreak could peak at Easter and last for six months – with millions set to be infected.
As cases rise, footage has surfaced of frantic shoppers descending on UK stores to stock up on goods.
One video from Costco in Chingford, London yesterday showed checkouts flooded with shoppers at the wholesale warehouse chain.
The store was said to be ‘running short’ on water with shoppers ‘fighting’ over toilet rolls and being ‘limited’ to one each during the panic-buying.
Lee Kennedy, who filmed the footage of stockpilers in Costco, said: ‘It was all very over the top, people were fighting over toilet rolls and being limited to one per person.
They were talking about putting restrictions on the bottled water as well.’
He added: ‘There were hardly any toilet rolls left and the water was running short.
‘The queues were sneaking around the aisles and people were arguing about pushing in front of each other.
‘It was okay, very hectic in there. One worker said it was worse than Christmas.’
Another clip shows shelves in an Asda in Surrey stripped bare. The video was posted on Facebook, captioned: ‘Where has all the food, toilet paper and water gone?’
Hand sanitiser products have been selling for more than 5000% of their recommended retail price online, amid coronavirus hysteria.
Two people have died from the killer bug in Britain so far, a grandfather in his 80s in Milton Keynes and a woman in her 70s in Reading.
Some 21,460 people have been tested. The previous largest increase in cases was 36 on Tuesday.
Microbiologist Peter Piot – known as the ‘Mick Jagger of microbiology’ – said the coronavirus threat has not been overhyped and that there are probably already a few thousand people in the UK infected, as cases appear to roughly double each week.
There are 29 confirmed cases in London, 24 in the south east, 22 in the south west and 21 in the north west.
Busy sporting venues are taking action to combat the spread of coronavirus, with Twickenham Stadium providing hand sanitizers at the 2020 Guinness Six Nations match between England and Wales.
A bar in London also took precautions as a bouncer was photographed checking the temperature of guests last night as they entered a venue in The Shard.
Coffee shop chain Pret A Manger has told staff to wash their hands every 30 minutes – following the sound of an alarm – while those with beards have to wash their hands every time they touch their facial hair.
Scotland has confirmed five more cases of coronavirus with two new diagnoses in Lanarkshire while Lothian, Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Grampian have an extra one.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to chair a meeting of the Government’s Cobra civil contingencies committee on Monday as officials prepare to accelerate work on the delay phase of the Government’s plan to tackle the virus.
Elderly people are to be told to stay at home under new government guidelines as relatives are urged to check in on them. Both coronavirus fatalities were over 70 years old.
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