Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Covid-19 coronavirus: Queues persist as shoppers gear up for lockdown

Caroline Fleming
By Caroline Fleming
Multimedia Journalist·Rotorua Daily Post·
24 Mar, 2020 09:49 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Queues outside a Rotorua Countdown supermarket. Photo / Stephen Parker

Queues outside a Rotorua Countdown supermarket. Photo / Stephen Parker

Queues have been seen out the doors of Rotorua supermarkets this morning, while Tauranga shops continue to buzz.

The high number of shoppers comes as people prepare for the Government's four-week national lockdown coming into effect at midnight tonight.

Queues outside a Rotorua Countdown supermarket. Photo / Stephen Parker
Queues outside a Rotorua Countdown supermarket. Photo / Stephen Parker

Large queues were spotted at the doors of Rotorua's Countdown supermarket in the Central Mall this morning, similar to those seen in the past two days as Bay of Plenty shoppers filled their stocks.

The queues would likely be a result of Countdown NZ introducing a limit on customers allowed in a store at once.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Papamoa Pak'nSave today.  Photo  /George Novak
Papamoa Pak'nSave today. Photo /George Novak

This meant that customers could maintain physical distance between themselves and staff.

General manager of health and safety at Countdown NZ Kiri Hannifin said all Countdown stores had today introduced additional safety measures.

Every second checkout would also be closed at Countdown supermarkets and customers were asked to pack their own groceries to speed up processing and limit handling.

Perspex screen installed at the New World supermarket in Te Puke. Photo / Supplied
Perspex screen installed at the New World supermarket in Te Puke. Photo / Supplied

Foodstuffs New Zealand that covered New World, Pak'n Save and Four Squares nationwide had staff wearing masks.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

All supermarkets had also installed physical distance guides and perspex screens had also been installed at checkouts to protect both team and customers from any sneezes or coughs.

• Covid19.govt.nz: The Government's official Covid-19 advisory website

- WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

VirusFacts2
VirusFacts2

The measures had been hailed as a must as New Zealanders dashed for the shops over the last few days.

Discover more

Bay of Plenty GPs using technology in lockdown

23 Mar 11:48 PM

'The world has changed': Tauranga council slashes proposed rates rise

24 Mar 02:27 AM

From the Editor: Together, we can do this

24 Mar 04:00 PM

Cancelled order sees eggs in many baskets

25 Mar 10:17 PM

On Monday alone, Kiwis nationwide spent a total of $111 million at food and drink shops following the Government's afternoon lockdown announcement.

The New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council was calling for calm as bottle stores across the country were subjected to massive panic buying, while supermarkets were pleading for people to shop normally.

A Rotorua bottle store manager, who did not wish to be named, told the Rotorua Daily Post yesterday that they had been "inundated" with customers and online ordering had spiked at an unprecedented rate.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern continued to reassure people that essential services, like supermarkets, would remain open throughout the lockdown.

She continued to put out a plea for people to "shop normally".

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

'God-given right': Family defends largely unconsented homestead on rural land

04 Jul 08:45 PM

A family wanted to be left alone to develop their land without council interference.

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP