New Zealanders are urged not to panic buy as the country prepares to enter the red traffic light setting.
All of Aotearoa will enter red at 11:59pm on Sunday after nine COVID-19 cases infected with the Omicron variant were found in the Nelson-Marlborough region. The family had recently travelled to Auckland and it's not yet known how their infections are connected to the border.
Red isn't a lockdown and shops, including retail, are still able to open. Despite this, people have flocked to supermarkets desperate to get their hands on essentials.
Photos and videos taken at Countdown LynnMall in Auckland show shelves getting low of toilet paper and paper towels. Others show queues of customers snaked around the supermarket as they wait to reach the checkout.
Minister of Finance Grant Robertson says there's no need for panic buying and shops will be open in red.
"Supermarkets stay open right throughout the red level. There's absolutely no need for anyone to [panic buy]," he says.
He says while people should think about any stocks and supplies they might need if they get sick, there's still "plenty of time for everybody to get what they need".
Retail NZ holds a similar view, saying Kiwis need to shop normally over the coming days and weeks.
"The retail environment is relatively safe through the use of masks, and it is still ok for Kiwis to go to the shops at the red traffic light setting," says chief executive Greg Harford.
"It is really important that customers and staff in retail stores are wearing masks when they are in-store and have vaccine passes if asked for them in cafés and close contact services because this will help limit the spread of Omicron.
"Retail NZ is asking Kiwis to understand that, during an Omicron outbreak, service offerings from retailers could change. This could be through limited staffing numbers, limits to shop hours, and product supply issues. We are calling on Kiwis to shop normal, shop nice and support the sector with a lot of understanding."
Harford says the Omicron outbreak will impact everyone, but retail teams will try their best to deliver products and services for customers while still being affected in their workplace and at home.
"We are all impacted by the pandemic so being nice to the retail sector can go a long way to helping everyone out."
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand should prepare to be in red for "some weeks" during the Omicron outbreak.
