Woolworths has announced that they will be introducing a dedicated shopping hour across its stores to ensure the elderly and people with a disability don’t miss out on essential items, as shoppers continue to wipe supermarket shelves clean amid the coronavirus crisis.

From Tuesday, until at least Friday, Woolworths Supermarkets will be opening exclusively for the elderly and those with a disability to shop from 7am to 8am.

According to the supermarket, the move has been prompted by the unprecedented demand in supermarkets over the past week, which has seen many elderly and vulnerable people in the community miss out on vital items they may need when they shop.

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“While we’ll continue to do our very best to restock our stores during this period of unprecedented demand, we know many of our elderly customers have been missing out on essential items when they shop,” Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Claire Peters said.

“This temporary measure will give them, and those with a disability, the opportunity to shop before ​our stores officially open… helping them obtain the ​essential ​items they need most in a less crowded environment.”

Ms Peters says she encourages Australians to be mindful of those in our communities who might need extra help at this time.

“Now – more than ever – we need to be kind to each other, especially to those most vulnerable,” she siad.

After the dedicated shopping hour, Woolworths Supermarkets will open to ​all customers from 8am.

“Access to the store prior to this time will require a relevant Government issued concession card,” Ms Peters said.

The revised opening hours will remain in place at this stage until this Friday, when Woolworths will review the opening arrangements again.

The move has already been praised by hundreds of people online, with calls for Coles to follow suit.

Well done @woolworths for dedicating shopping time each day for elderly and disabled! C’mon @Coles, can you please do it too??? We need to take care of our elderly and disabled people! — ???? ?Bethany Williams (@BethanyinCBR) March 15, 2020