Covid 19 coronavirus: Pak'nSave Wairau Park shoppers ignore distancing rules

Foodstuffs boss Chris Quin talks to Damien Venuto about supermarket queues, price gouging accusations and panic buying

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A shopper was left "disgusted" at other customers after lockdown restrictions were ignored at Pak'nSave Wairau Park this morning.

Many were ignoring strict social distancing recommendations and even touching one another, concerned shopper Lisa Sheldon said.

The supermarket's owner Foodstuffs told the Herald it was equally concerned about the situation, and the store was taking action.

"The vast majority [of shoppers] weren't even trying to keep their distance," Sheldon told the Herald.

"There were a couple of times people reached over and touched me and I was like, 'what are you doing?' and gave them the look and they just scooted away.

"By the time the third person touched me, I started hyperventilating and had to stop and go away from everyone to calm down."

Pak'nSave Wairau Park shoppers weren't steering clear of each other this morning, a woman says. Photo / Supplied

Supermarkets nationwide were closed yesterday for Good Friday, providing workers with a break after many busy weeks.

However, many stores picked up from where they left off on Thursday as stacks of people headed to their local this morning.

Pak'nSave Wairau Park's customer numbers had been "extraordinarily high" after the day off, Foodstuffs head of corporate affairs Antoinette Laird said.

The massive influx of shoppers proved a challenge for the store and its staff - resulting in lockdown regulations being broken.

"As you can see from this picture, customers are not adhering to the physical distancing signage, which is a concern," Laird said.

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Staff had decided to further reduce the number of shoppers in-store at any one time and would keep them lower indefinitely.

Arrows had been put on the floor to try and direct shoppers through aisles but they were not being followed, Sheldon said.

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There were also signs above the aisles asking people to maintain a two-metre distance from one another but they were also being ignored.

If customers continued to disregard lockdown regulations, the store would be forced to further reduce the number of shoppers allowed inside at any one time, Liard said.

The length of the queue to get into the store would then likely increase further.

"Alternatively, they may start asking shoppers who are not following the directional signage to leave the store because it poses a health and safety risk," she said.

Shoppers were asked to remember to shop normally and to be kind to others when in the store to ensure everyone's safety.

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

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