Coronavirus UK: Archbishops say public should NOT panic buy – urging ‘calm, courage and compassion’
Archbishops say public should NOT panic buy and urge ‘calm, courage and compassion’ as England goes back into lockdown… so tell that to the man filling his trolley with DOZENS of bags of Doritos!
- Justin Welby and Stephen Cottell asked for ‘calm, courage and compassion’
- They urged the public to shop normally during England’s second lockdown
- The message came after video emerged showing Tesco shoppers wrestling
- A photograph shows one shopper loading dozens of bags of doritos onto the till
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have urged the public to shop normally during the second national lockdown.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, asked for ‘calm, courage and compassion’ as England was plunged into a second national lockdown today, reported the Telegraph.
The message comes after a photograph emerged showing a shopper piling dozens of packets of lightly salted doritos on the till conveyor belt.
Earlier this week queues outside a Lakeside branch of Costco stretched 1,300ft as desperate families waited to bulk buy items.
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, asked for ‘calm, courage and compassion’ as England is plunged into a second national lockdown today, reported the Telegraph
The message comes after photographs emerged showing wrestling shoppers hoarding lightly salted doritos (pictured) and toilet paper
In an open letter published yesterday the archbishops said: ‘First, let’s be calm. By only buying what we need and not hoarding, or by reaching out to our neighbours as we did during the first lockdown, we can be stronger together in ways that are impossible if we go it alone.’
They asked people to join them online for a month of daily 6pm prayer.
This week social distancing has been completely forgotten as shoppers battled over bargains in scenes of panic buying.
The extraordinary scenes showed Tesco customers wrestling near the shelves where discounted items were laid out at the end of the day.
Empty Shelves at the supermarkets as shoppers take what they can ahead of a national lockdown in England
A group of shoppers break social distancing rules to battle it out for a bargain in the reduced section of a Tesco branch
Despite the fact food stores will be allowed to stay open during the UK’s second national lockdown, there have been pockets of panic-buying incidents throughout the country.
Tesco’s outbreak of retail rage – which was posted online with location unknown – saw thrifty shoppers hell-bent on grabbing a bargain physically shove each other out of the way in the reduced aisle.
At one point, a man can be seen reaching out across the crowd of people to swipe a load of goodies off the top shelf, while a number of other shoppers grab handfuls of items from the various other shelves.
Twitter users have reported seeing similar scenes, with one adding: ‘Last week I had some old lady shoulder barge me to get to the reduced section even though I hadn’t even stopped to look at anything.
Hundreds queue outside Costco at Lakeside a drone photograph showed yesterday as lines stretched 1,300 feet in length
Others seemed to buy more frivolous purchases alongside their stockpiling of essential items
Bare shelves at a Tesco superstore in Cambridge ahead of the national lockdown, as customers stock up on loafs of bread
‘Five mins later I see her buying expensive bottles of wine.’
A second person said: ‘They do that all the time. Did it well before Covid as well.’
A third user joked: ‘I see nothing wrong in this video!’
Tesco’s reduced section has long been popular among thrifty shoppers and often provides a treasure trove of goodies including discounted meats, cheeses, and ready-meals as well as an array of pastries.
It emerged the day after supermarkets started rationing their products again after panic-buying hordes descended on food shops across the country today ahead of the UK’s second national lockdown on Thursday.
A Tesco supermarket in Ely, Cambridgeshire, put limits on essential goods such as toilet rolls, flour and eggs.
Boxes of eggs are bare after customers panic buy items before England’s national lockdown
Shelves of toilet rolls are left bare after customers panic buy, despite the fact that food stores will remain open
Supermarkets have been urging people not to stockpile items, but customers appear to be taking no notice and are buying large amount of non-essential items and cupboard goods, just as they did back in March before the first national lockdown.
Yesterday the shelves were bare in aisles at Asda in Cambridge and Tesco in Ely in Cambridgeshire.
Home delivery slots are also getting booked up, with many customers struggling to get slots and taking to Twitter to complain.
Hundreds of customers had lined up to get into stores, including Sainsbury’s and wholesalers Costco, ahead of the shutdown coming in on Thursday.
Primark – which will have to close under lockdown – also saw queues outside its flagship Oxford Street store.
A retail worker at fashion chain Bershka’s Oxford Street store told MailOnline: ‘It has been really busy.
‘It was half term as well so I don’t think it’s all been due to the lockdown.
‘But this weekend has been busier.’
