Supermarkets are thought to be drawing up "feed-the-nation" plans to cope with potential panic buying caused by the coronavirus outbreak, with one already warning its customers to order early due to "exceptionally high demand".

Online food retailer Ocado is asking for orders to be placed further in advance than normal and for weekend delivery bookings to be avoided as "more people than usual seem to be placing particularly large orders".

In an email sent to customers on Friday night, the company said delivery slots "are selling out quicker than expected" and suggested they book deliveries for between Mondays and Thursdays instead.

Coronavirus: How worried should we be?

Ocado, which is Britain's fastest growing grocer according to industry data, has declined to comment on the email, and some of its main competitors have refused to reveal if they have experienced an upturn in demand.

But one analyst says the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons will all have drawn up contingency plans because of growing concerns about the coronavirus, with the number of cases in the UK having hit 51.


Food retail expert Bruno Monteyne, a former supply chain director at Tesco, said: "With tight supply chains, if a major outbreak happens, that will quickly lead to panic buying, empty shelves and food riots."

Mr Monteyne, now of investment analyst firm Alliance Bernstein, said the supermarket industry would be drawing up plans for key product ranges and transition to something known as "feed-the-nation" status.

It would see supermarkets work with suppliers to ensure a laser-focus on ensuring shelves are well stocked with staple products like cereals, rice, meat and dairy, rather than on huge varieties.

According to The Guardian, Tesco confirmed it carried out such preparations and said they were part of being a "responsible retailer".

Image: Panicked shoppers were quick to strip supermarket shelves in northern Italy

Image: Demand for groceries has also shot up in affected countries like Hong Kong

Ratula Chakraborty, professor of business management at the University of East Anglia, has also warned that the stockpiling in UK homes "may become rife" over fears parts of the country could be quarantined.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News on Sunday that he could not rule out cities being put on lockdown.

Professor Chakraborty said: "With coronavirus cases increasing and quarantine measures being ramped up, then inevitably some anxious households will begin stocking piling food, medicines and other storable essentials."

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability policy at the British Retail Consortium, said disruption to supply chains has been "limited" so far - but noted a sharp rise in demand for hygiene products.

Last week Sky News reported on how some retailers were struggling to keep brands of hand sanitiser in stock, while the spread of COVID-19 has also led to demand for face masks - despite doubts over their usefulness.

Other countries including badly affected regions of northern Italy have already seen huge queues develop at stores as people desperately try to stock up on food and hygiene products because of the outbreak.

In Hong Kong last month, knife-wielding thieves stole 600 toilet rolls from outside a supermarket amid shortages.

How to contain a global pandemic

But while supermarkets may enjoy a boom due to panic buying, the airline industry is experiencing anything but.

British Airways and Ryanair have cancelled hundreds of flights between the UK and parts of Europe and the US due to the coronavirus outbreak, affecting journeys to and from both Heathrow and Gatwick.

Both airlines said the downscaling of their timetables this month was down to reduced demand from passengers.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will likely move to reassure the public on Tuesday when he finally unveils a new government action plan to tackle COVID-19.

He has been criticised for being slow to respond to the rate at which the infection has grown in the UK, with the first school pupil to be diagnosed among the new cases confirmed on Monday.

Image: Boris Johnson visited PHE's National Infection Service in north London on Sunday

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After chairing a COBRA meeting of senior ministers, Mr Johnson will announce a six-point plan at a Downing Street news conference alongside the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser.

Emergency measures to be unveiled include a Cabinet Office war room, more home working and curbs on travel, bringing NHS staff out of retirement and bigger class sizes in schools.

Ahead of his announcement, Mr Johnson said: "It is highly likely coronavirus will spread more widely in the coming days and weeks, which is why we're making every possible preparation."

In the worst-case scenario, it is feared 80% of the population could contract the virus, with up to 500,000 deaths.

Coronavirus quarantine: What happens now?

Chancellor Rishi Sunak is also pledging more funds to fight the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, and has promised a big injection of cash in next week's budget.

For the time being, the prime minister has repeated his go-to health tip of making sure we all wash our hands with soap and water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

In other coronavirus developments worldwide:

G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will hold a conference call on Tuesday morning to discuss measures to deal with the widening coronavirus outbreak and its economic impact

Italy's death toll from the virus rose by 18 to 52 on Monday, with more than 2,000 confirmed cases

The risk of coronavirus in the EU was raised to its second highest level

South Korea confirmed another 600 infections, taking its tally to more than 4,800 cases and 34 deaths

An aide to Iran's Supreme Leader died after contracting COVID-19

The US confirmed six people in the country have now died from the disease

British guests at a quarantined hotel in Tenerife are being flown back after testing negative

More than 9,000 confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 have now been recorded globally, and there have also been more than 3,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak.

Virus Outbreak: Global Emergency - Watch a special Sky News programme on coronavirus at 6pm weekdays.