Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has introduced new shopping restrictions amid warnings more cities could enter new tier-three restrictions in the coming weeks.
The retail chain has become the first grocer to speak out after the Prime Minister ordered all non-essential stores to close in Liverpool, amid a surge in coronavirus infections across England.
On Thursday, Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed London will enter tier two on Friday evening - as the capital becomes a 'high risk' area.
Now, Sanisbury's is urging customers to shop alone to help curb the spread of the virus.
From now on, the chain is telling customers to shop "one adult at a time".
Sainsbury's is limiting the number of customers allowed in its stores and said it has reduced the number of checkouts available in supermarkets.
In a statement, Sainsbury's said: "We are asking everyone to only send one adult per household to our shops.
"This helps us keep people a safe distance apart and also helps to reduce queues to get into stores.
"Our store teams will be asking groups with more than one adult to choose one adult to shop and will ask other adults to wait.
"Children are welcome if they are not able to stay at home," a spokesman added.
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The announcement comes after several supermarkets announced shopping restrictions earlier this month amid panic-buying fears.
Tesco said new stockpiling limits now apply on flour, dried pasta, toilet roll, baby wipes and anti-bacterial wipes.
There are additional limits online on items such as rice and tinned vegetables.
A spokesperson told Mirror Money: "We have good availability, with plenty of stock to go round, and we would encourage our customers to shop as normal.
"To ensure that everyone can keep buying what they need, we have introduced bulk-buy limits on a small number of products."
On its website, Tesco issued a separate warning on the importance of face coverings.
"We would like to remind customers about the safety measures in place, including the legal requirement to wear a face covering," the supermarket said.
In an email to shoppers, Jason Tarry, the CEO of Tesco UK & Ireland, said customers should shop alone and only order online when absolutely crucial.
"Please avoid shopping during Tesco's dedicated times for vulnerable and elderly people," he said.
Morrisons reintroduced stockpiling limits on popular items including cleaning products and toilet roll last month.
The grocer said three-per-person restrictions now apply on a "on a small number of products.
"We are introducing a limit on a small number of key products, such as toilet roll and disinfectant," a spokesman said.
"Our stock levels of these products are good but we want to ensure that they are available for everyone.
"There is no need to buy more than you usually would.
"I would like to reassure you that our stores remain fully stocked and ask that you continue to shop considerately.
"We have remained open for our customers throughout the pandemic and will continue to have daily deliveries, often multiple times a day, across all of our products."
In March, shelves were left stripped of tinned goods, toilet roll and dried pasta after the UK went into a national lockdown.
With the industry eager to avoid a repeat this autumn, the British Retail Consortium is urging shoppers not to change their buying habits.
Andrew Opie from the British Retail Consortium told Mirror Money: "Supermarkets have put in place a range of safety measures to protect staff and customers.
"In the event of future lockdowns we urge consumers to be considerate and shop for food as they would usually during this difficult time."
