Panic buying appears to have broken out in Auckland as New Zealand’s largest city is planning to re-enter a three lockout snap stage following the country’s first cases of coronavirus in more than 100 days.
In an emergency update tonight, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the four new cases and said the country is prepared to fight the outbreak.
When photos and videos were posted online showing long queues snaking out of Auckland supermarkets and trolleys of shoppers packed high with items, she had barely finished addressing the nation.
Another shocking video shows viewers as police tried to monitor the amount of people running in after seemingly pulling open the doors of a Countdown supermarket.
There are already long lines at Auckland supermarkets.
The below images are from inside the Grey Lynn countdown, lines outside Mt Eden Countdown, and about 200 people wrap around the Countdown building on Quay Street.
More Covid-19 updates here: https://t.co/jR6f6LmJCW pic.twitter.com/Bi0xrJ6ZsR
— RNZ (@radionz) August 11, 2020
In a Countdown store in Grey Lynn, large crowds of customers were noticed, while about 200 people were queued along the street outside the Quay Street store in Auckland ‘s centre.
Many pictures shared with social media seemed to show shoppers lined up outside various department outlets, car parks filled with vehicles and cars queuing along busy highways.
NZ right now…
Online shopping reportedly down.
These are apparently queues of cars racing to the supermarket. https://t.co/wj2OqGU4zU— Ruth Wynn-Williams (@RuthWW) August 11, 2020