Online Supermarket deliveries to stop if things get worse?

[Nolite77]

I was reading this document on the government website about retailers during a pandemic and it says once we reach alert level 2 & 3 of a pandemic

"Internet operations are likely to be suspended soon after a likely pandemic is confirmed and staff re-directed to keeping stores open"

I think a lot of people were planning to use food delivery services to minimise contact if things get worse and if they became ill themselves but from what I've read that might not be possible? I always use online food shopping but we all might need to make other plans!

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/85916/flu_food_planning_assumptions.pdf

I do love MN ... never heard of Parsley Box !

@Butterwhy Not directly but in a "previous life" I was involved with high level emergency planning.

Sounds crazy,
In China, when people have benn isolated at home,, they were told not to go out at all and ALL deliveries were internet based (DH company has some links there and some people have been stuck in their flats for the last 4 weeks)

I have ZERO support network locally I am absolutely screwed if this happens!

Would be problematic to determine who was eligable or not though! Not imo - proof via benefits evidence I'm on esa and pip enhanced rates and possibly letter from gp surgery?

For those housebound I would suggest you start buying extras in your shop if you can afford to. Long life milk, tinned foods and cereals and extra bread for the freezer.

I'm fine for food as I prep as much as I can anyway.

Where I'm seriously worried and I've already had an issue today is my main problem is I have ocd and get through a lot of cleaning products.

I've been unable to stock up on these due to price and availability and some are already rationed due to other laws.

I'm hoping this panic is over very soon.

I can see armed forces being drafted in to cover some jobs as has happened in the past in crises but as a pp rightly says what many are unaware of is the numbers of civil servants in crisis service areas have been massively depleted which started in the 80's. There's been swathes of redundancies and even recruitment freezes which the general public were not made aware of (massive vote loser).

I’ve just been ordering a bunch of extra food. I’m disabled and get my shopping delivered. This doesn’t solve the fresh produce aspect though

Forgot to say. Thank you for the heads up!!

If anything, I would expect the stores to be closed and all deliveries done Through internet shopping.

However, I am not aware that either have been done in Italy in the area that has been closed off. Cafes were still ok to open .

@Nolite77 what’s the link to the government website page where you found this PDF, please? I’d like to see it all in context.

You would think that it would be pretty simple for people to receive a code from the government enabling them to receive home deliveries if they were infected or high risk, allowing delivery services to be targetted at those needing them the most.

I was saying this on here as soon as these threads started. Isn't it bloody obvious there might be staff shortages affecting food delivery?

Sorry Nolite, didn't see you'd already suggested that.

It’s an interesting thing

I honestly would have thought online deliveries would be safer than an open store

well that seems daft as surely more people going into stores, will spread it around more.... I live 20 miles from the nearest supermarket and don't want to spend my weekends food shopping so get a delivery every week. We can only get Tes, Sains, Asda in this area, so Ocado is no use to anyone.

If this does happen then people will continue to stock pile and panic buy, so it won't help the situation.

Is anyone washing the items which are delivered, or which are being purchased in stores now? In a worse case scenario, presumably the person who put it on the shelf, or packed your shopping into the vehicle could have it. I'm not sure what we're supposed to wipe them with? Disinfectant or soap and water? Or, don't touch any new shopping for at least 3 days?

Hmmm
I worked for asda until last year. I am still friends with people who work there.

This isnt in their pandemic planning

I always order early Sunday pm for an Monday evening delivery, recently using Ocado and have had all evening slots to choose from. Cannot get a Monday evening slot with Ocado, Asda, Tesco or Sainsburys. Going to have to go shopping . But seriously why??

Oh, ocado have fully automatic warehouse

Its mostly automated and picked by robots. It bet it can run with less human input than most delivery services.

It takes fewer people to run a store than a delivery service and a store will service more customers than a delivery service so I'd suppose that's the logic behind it. If you're at a point where staff shortages are risking availability of food.

And driverless vehicles 😂😂😂

Actually you guys saying it makes more sense to switch to all online shopping are right.

Reduces risk of infection - products only touched by staff not loads of customers with questionable personal hygiene! Drivers COULD leave at the door although with the bag free bollocks not sure how that would work. Staff having less contact with customers...

Requires less staff

Ensures those self isolating, ill, housebound etc still get food etc

Would allow supermarkets to easily ration the most in demand products (not a plus for me but can see it being a fair response)

These staff ... they don't have kids whose schools might be closed. They don't have partners who may be forced to self isolate. In fact, they have a magical force field around them and are utterly unaffected by this problem.

If it gets bad, then the logical thing is for the government to direct which supermarkets deliver to where, when.

So we don't have the Tesco van, then the Sainsburys van, then the Ocado van, then the Tesco van again all coming down the same street.

They may also deliver food packages (similar to foodbank - designed to make a week's worth of meals for however many are in the house) rather than taking specific orders.

I am pretty sure the elderly will not be left to starve, whether they use internet shopping or not.

i’m in the same situation as @Graphista

chronically ill, physically disabled and no means of transport. i rely entirely on online shopping.

i also don’t have a freezer!

i’ll just keep ordering as usual and see what i end up with. looking forward to waving my PIP and ESA forms at soldiers in hazmat suits to get government issued gruel.

(it will be fine, all will be fine. my current mantra!)