Since COVID-19 hit Australia, supermarket shelves have been stripped bare of toilet paper, tissues, pasta and other household essentials by panic buyers. The irresponsible behaviour has left many of the most vulnerable people in our communities unable to purchase basic food and household items.
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Supermarket giant Woolworths has now taken action to support the elderly and disabled members of our communities by introducing a dedicated shopping time for those affected. From Tuesday March 17 until at least Friday, shopping will be exclusively available to those with a government-issued concession card from 7am until 8am. Stores will then open to the public from 8am.
“We’re launching a dedicated shopping hour in our stores to help support the needs of the elderly & people with disability in the community. From tomorrow until at least Friday, we’ll be opening exclusively for them to shop from 7-8am, where permitted.” Woolworths tweeted.
“The move has been prompted by the unprecedented demand in supermarkets over the past week, which has seen many elderly and vulnerable people in the community missing out on vital items they may need when they shop,” Woolworths said in a statement this morning.
While this is a temporary measure to ensure everyone is able to purchase necessities, it is one that is unfortunately necessary. Now, more than ever, we need to treat each other with kindness and respect.
This article originally appeared on BHG.
