New purchase limits at Coles as virus hits Laverton warehouse

Coles introducing new limits on some products in Victoria and some NSW towns following a fresh COVID case in a key warehouse.

Some Coles stores have been hit by renewed panic buying after the recent spike of coronavirus cases in Victoria.

Coles has placed new restrictions on shoppers in response to fresh shortages brought on by another a positive virus case at its Laverton distribution facility and another round of apparent panic buying.

Sales of fresh milk, cheese, butter, margarine, chicken breast and thighs and prepacked carrots and potatoes have all been restricted to two per customer at all Coles stores in Victoria and Tasmania, as well as three store along the NSW border.

The restriction comes after a staff member at Coles’ Laverton chilled distribution facility in Melbourne’s West tested positive for COVID-19, taking to six the total number of coronavirus cases linked to the outbreak at the Laverton facility.

Hundreds of staff at the huge site have been tested for coronavirus and the site has been undergoing daily cleaning.

As a precautionary measure, a significant proportion of staff have been asked to self-isolate, the request coming amid a significant spike in the number of new coronavirus cases in Melbourne.

The latest buying restrictions come on top of existing limits on pasta, mince, flour, eggs, hand sanitiser, UHT milk, sugar, and rice in place the Coles’ Victorian and NSW border customers.

Coles has also restricted sales of toilet paper and paper towels to one pack per customer across the whole country.

In a statement posted to its website, Coles said teams were “working hard with our suppliers to replenish our stores as soon as possible, and we apologise to customers of our Victorian and NSW border stores who may find some chilled and fresh produce lines are temporarily out of stock.

“The health and safety of our team members remains a top priority for Coles and we look forward to welcoming our Laverton team members currently in isolation back to work as soon as they receive necessary clearances,” Coles said.

Stock has been rerouted through distribution centres in other states and pop-up distribution centres have been set up in Victoria to ensure shoppers remain supplied.

Some suppliers are also being asked to ship some products, like milk, directly to stores.

Certain goods, such as oranges, that were previously refrigerated prior to sale will now also be shipped unchilled.

The latest announcement comes as a Woolworths supermarket in Sydney was shut for cleaning after a staff member who had recently returned from Melbourne tested positive for COVID-19.