Tesco have confirmed that they have limited a number of items to two per customer after panic buying has reduced stock.
The supermarket were initially holding a five per customer rule on popular items, however this has since been reduced. The rationing comes as the coronavirus outbreak reaches new highs, with 30 cases in the Lothians and 195 in total in Scotland.
However, Tesco stress that there is no need to stockpile or panic buy food as they are restocking shelves regularly.
Fears of self isolation and the spread of the virus have caused supermarkets to see completely empty shelves on essential items.
The items that are currently on a two per customer limit are:
- UHT (long-life) milk
- antibacterial products
- dried pasta
- toilet roll
- tinned vegetables
Edinburgh has seen excessive stockpiling occurring all over the city, with some customers stealing items out of foodbank collection points or queuing outside stores before opening.
Taking more items than you need can lead to shortages for vulnerable people who might struggle to go to more than one shop to buy essential items during the pandemic.
If you want to keep informed on all the latest updates on the COVID-19 pandemic in Edinburgh and the Lothians you can follow all the updates on our live blog.
