Crowds of people are flocking to supermarkets around Auckland this morning after the first case of Covid-19 was confirmed in New Zealand yesterday.
Jacinda Ardern confirmed yesterday that a person in their 60s was in Auckland Hospital in a "stable, improving condition".
Foodstuffs, the parent company of Pak'nSave and New World says some stores may be completely out of stock of hand sanitiser and face masks because of the virus outbreak.
This morning, one shopper Jamie Pule captured the chaos on video at Pak'nSave Westgate.
He told 1 NEWS people were queuing “in force due to outbreak of virus in Auckland".
“You can definitely tell the difference between normal shoppers and people shopping out of panic," said Mr Pule.
Foodstuffs is urging customers to resist stocking up as it puts "unnecessary pressure on stores".
It comes as the Government announces tougher new travel restrictions.
"If customers continue to shop normally stores will have no issues providing the usual range of products," a spokesperson for Foodstuffs told 1 NEWS.
"Since the Coronavirus has emerged globally, the demand for hand sanitiser and face masks has significantly increased around the world. Some stores may be completely out of stock and others may have quantity limitations in place."
Foostuffs said it is working with suppliers to get more stock.
The first person to be confirmed with coronavirus in New Zealand arrived in Auckland on 26 February.
They had been in Iran and were returning home on an Emirates flight EK450 which originated in Tehran and came to New Zealand via Bali.
Were you on Emirates flight EK450 that arrived in Auckland on February 26? Email news@tvnz.co.nz
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