Shoppers have been spotted queuing outside Costco in Edinburgh as panic buying continues to clear shelves around the country.
Amid mounting fears over coronavirus customers across the country have been buying products in bulk, leading to store shortages of everything from toilet to paracetamol.
The panic-induced buying is showing no signs of slowing down, with shoppers spotted outside Costco queuing for the wholesaler to open shortly before 10am this morning.
One shopper, Hope Kennedy Muir, said she had intended on getting her weekly shop but gave up when faced with queues “all the way back”.
She said: “Tried to go to Costco just to do our normal shop and have decided to leave as there is millions of panic-buyers queuing outside both entrances all the way back and Costco does not open till 10am!
“Can people please spare a thought before over-buying and being greedy no need!”
A store assistant at Asda in Leith first noticed shoppers were “stockpiling” groceries at the start of the month, commenting that it had “gone up a notch”.
However, the situation is only set to intensify after the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation last week.
Hand sanitiser gel was even being stolen from NHS Lothian hospitals and shops have been forced to ration items, including tinned goods and pasta – you can find all items rationed by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Aldi here.
The latest figures mark another sharp rise in the number of new cases in Scotland, jumping from 85 cases on Friday.
Mass gatherings are also set to be banned across the country from next weekend in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus, as the UK Government move to implement more extreme measures.
Edinburgh Live will be bringing you all the latest coronavirus updates on our dedicated live blog here.
