Coronavirus panic buying: Ryde Council waives curfews for supermarket trucks to replenish
A Sydney council has waived curfews in a desperate bid to allow supermarket delivery trucks to replenish shelves around the clock as panic-buying continues.
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A Sydney council has waived curfews in a desperate bid to allow supermarket delivery trucks to replenish shelves around the clock as coronavirus panic-buying leaves some supermarket aisles bare.
Ryde Mayor Jerome Laxale said some vulnerable members in the community have been impacted by panic-buying of supermarket staples.
The area is the worst-impacted by the virus in Sydney, with nine confirmed cases of the virus at the Dorothy Henderson Lodge in Macquarie Park.
A doctor from Ryde Hospital also contracted the virus, and Epping Boys High School closed for a day of cleaning after a student tested positive to the virus.
“We’ve all seen the empty shelves and we’ve all had a chuckle and scratched our heads, however there are people who are really impacted by our panic buying, namely those who live on fixed and low incomes who do not have the luxury to throw an extra $100 at groceries,” Cr Laxale said on Facebook.
Cr Laxale said supermarket giant Woolworths told him there was enough stock to restock shelves yet workers were restricted due to delivery curfews.
Council has now agreed to the lifting of curfews which will allow Woolworths’ delivery trucks to get staples into Top Ryde, Macquarie Centre, West Ryde, Eastwood and Marsfield stores.
“These curfews exist for a reason. I’d ask for those impacted by the potential for extra noise to bear with us as we all adapt to this phenomenon.”
Coles has since requested for their curfew times to be waived which was granted by Ryde Council on Tuesday.
Ermington father Stefano Capizzi said he went to Coles and found it difficult to get staples such as nappies and toilet paper for his young family.
“I went to Coles and there’s no pasta, no toilet paper, no nappies, wipes or paper towels,” Mr Capizzi previously told The Northern District Times.
“We’re living our normal lives. It’s either one extreme or another – you panic or you don’t. At the moment I’m not panicking,” he said.
A Woolworths spokesman said: “Our teams and many of our suppliers have been working round-the-clock to replenish our stores with essential items such as toilet paper and pantry staples in the face of unprecedented demand.
“We've been approaching councils to seek temporary exemptions from delivery curfews to allow for additional delivery windows given the circumstances.
“We're grateful to have received the approval of many councils already in support of their local community needs.”
It is understood the waiving of delivery curfews will allow delivery trucks to restock shelves in Woolworths and Coles supermarkets across Ryde for two weeks with possibility for it to be extended afterwards.
Each individual store has different hours and curfew times for deliveries depending on store location.