Covid-19: Grocery delivery goes on to people isolating
Tuesday, 15 February 2022
As the Covid-19 pandemic worsens in New Zealand, the Countdown supermarket chain says it has been working on contingency plans and network expansion to ensure people isolating at home will be able to keep getting groceries delivered.
Foodstuffs South Island is also in the process of rolling out online shopping by the end of this year in its New World and Pak’nSave stores, including the Nelson region, and in the meantime has teamed with the Student Volunteer Army to get groceries to people in need who are isolating at home.
Nelson Marlborough Health has warned it’s only a matter of time before community cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 become widespread in the Nelson region. Nine cases were added to the region's outbreak on Tuesday.
As cases spread a growing number of people will be isolating at home. Countdown says it has plans to ensure those isolating with nobody else to bring them groceries will still be able to shop online and have goods delivered.
**READ MORE:
* Getting through: How Kiwis are prepping for Omicron
* Supermarkets ask customers not to panic buy in preparation for an Omicron outbreak
**
The Government is urging people to get prepared to deal with Covid-19, including putting together an isolation kit and organising with friends, whānau or neighbours to do contactless drop-offs of food and supplies.
Countdown said that after weathering a number of Covid-19 outbreaks during the past two years it had plenty of experience in understanding and managing its online capacity, and had done a lot of contingency planning.
“We’ve also been actively expanding our network capacity and investing in additional infrastructure to ensure we can continue to provide Kiwis with a reliable online shopping service - even during an outbreak, where we see more customers move their shopping online,” a Countdown spokesperson said.
The supermarket chain’s 'Priority Assistance” service was available for vulnerable New Zealanders and those having to isolate at home. Countdown delivered to most communities throughout New Zealand, including Nelson, and all deliveries were contactless to help keep its drivers and customers safe, the spokesperson said.
“Although customers are still able to access our online shopping and click and collect services during an outbreak, we recommend people give themselves plenty of time when placing their orders to ensure they can book a delivery or collection window that will meet their needs - even if it’s not their first choice.”
FreshChoice Nelson owner Mark A'Court said they were keeping up with demand for online shopping and deliveries currently but did not have “endless resources” for it, should there be a huge rise in demand as the Omicron outbreak progressed. Staff shortages and stock supply limits were among issues having an impact, he said.
“It would be fair to say you won’t be able to get what you want, when you want it, all the time,” he said.
FreshChoice Nelson launched its online shopping in early 2020 and was building it at a “cautious” pace it could maintain, bearing in mind large levels of staff absenteeism were expected during the Omicron outbreak, A’Court said.
FreshChoice Nelson was able to deliver to people isolating, A’Court said.
Foodstuffs New Zealand corporate affairs manager Emma Wooster said Foodstuffs South Island was in the process of rolling out online shopping by the end of this year at all New World and Pak’nSave stores in the South Island.
If someone was isolating and unable to send a friend or neighbour to collect their groceries, the Student Volunteer Army had reinstated its nationwide grocery delivery service in partnership with New World, mainly to support people with Covid-19, Wooster said. People could access the service online at www.shop.sva.org.nz or by phoning 0800 005 902.