Canberrans panic buying toilet paper and masks following new ACT Covid restrictions

Canberrans took to social media to share photos of what they said were empty shelves across the city.

Vimal Kumer and Koran Simar managed to grab the last three rolls of the day at Coles in Jamison on Sunday at 10pm.

They missed out on masks though, and said they were planning on getting some from a friend on Monday morning.

Single mother Trinity said when she visited Aldi in Jamison on Sunday at 4.30pm, there were only a few rolls left.

"I felt like I couldn't actually buy any even if I wanted to because of the shame of people thinking I was panic buying," she said.

"Being a single mother living week by week it was stressful trying to find any and not knowing if there would be any the next week."

Philippa Hurst said toilet paper stocks were depleted at Coles in Wanniassa on Sunday afternoon.

"There is no Covid here, we are not in lockdown, there is zero reason for this panic buying," she said.

Some stores have been limiting stock, while others have been accused of price gouging.

Dr Sundus Nizamani said that when she visited Superbarn Kingston at 6.30pm, they were selling packets of 50 masks for $119.99 and individual masks for $2.75 each.

The metadata of an image of the masks, showed it was taken at 6.36pm at Superbarn Kingston.

On Monday morning, the shop said they were selling individual masks only for $1.50 with a limit of one person per item.

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Woolworths said they were limiting supplies to one mask and two toilet paper packs per person in ACT in stores and online.

"We have plenty of stock in our supply chain, and our team members will be hard at work making sure it flows into our stores in large volumes for our customers," said ACT Woolworths General Manager Michael Mackenzie.

Coles said they are not limiting stock in the ACT.

Canberrans also took to social media to share what they had seen in shops across the city.

Dr Ines Atmosukarto posted a photo of a Coles store in Canberra on Twitter.

"Have we not learnt anything? Zero cases in Canberra, 99% people not wearing a mask in the supermarket but toilet paper being hoarded away?"

"Really? All we have to do is wear face masks. We aren't in lockdown," one person wrote alongside an image of a supermarket shelf without toilet paper.

Another posted an image they said was from Belconnen Coles.

"[Well] done to Coles supermarket Belconnen ACT. All staff ahead of the game and already masked," they said.

"Badly done to all the COVIDIOTS in Canberra who have already wiped out (pun intended) all the toilet paper stocks. What's wrong with people! You've learned nothing."

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