Australians start to stockpile MEAT PIES amid fears of a coronavirus shortage - as stores limit shoppers to just five packs
- Australians are stock piling the beloved meat pie due to coronavirus fears
- One pie shop in Brisbane pleaded with customers to buy only five packs
- Piefection Pies shared pictures of its bare shelves after a rush on products
- The company has two stores, one in Coorparoo and another in Mt Gravatt
The humble meat pie has become the latest victim of the coronavirus panic buyer chaos, with shops forced to limit customers to five packets.
Piefection Pies in Queensland said there had been a rush on its flaky treats, leaving them forced to bring in a per person limit.
The beloved local pie maker posted on Instagram, pleading with customers to show restraint when stocking up on frozen pies.
It comes amid a coronavirus panic, with Australians shoppers stocking up on everyday essentials - leading supermarkets across the country bare.
Families fear they could be left without food, medicine and other supplies if they were forced to go into isolation from the killer respiratory virus.
Piefection Pies (pictured) shared an image of their empty freezer stock room after customers rushed to stock up
Shoppers declared the 'end of the world' on Tuesday as they desperately attempted to buy basic necessities. Empty shelves are pictured at a Coles supermarket in Canberra (pictured)
'After completely selling out of frozen boxes and Family pies Monday, we have restocked and have family pies and frozen boxes available at both Coorparoo and Mt Gravatt stores and are ready to go,' they wrote.
Piefection (pictured) is known locally in Brisbane for its award-winning pies
'Please no more than five frozen boxes per person.'
The company is known for its gourmet pies, including Guinness Beef and Mushroom, Lamb Shank and Rosemary, Jack Daniels BBQ Pork Rib or Bundaberg Rum Runner.
Other shoppers have reported shortages of painkillers, condoms, rice and pasta.
Fears over the coronavirus - now known as COVID-19 - led customers to clear shopping aisles of toilet paper, hand sanitiser and other essential products.
Supermarkets are now enforcing strict restrictions on toilet paper purchases, with Woolworths only allowing customers to buy four rolls per person.
Supermarket aisles have been cleared of toilet tissues across Australia's biggest cities as fears grow about the coronavirus (pictured)
Posting in a Facebook group, one Australian mum posted boasting of her stockpiled toilet paper (pictured, left and right)
Video emerged earlier on Wednesday that appeared to show a stampede breaking out at another Woolworths store in Revesby, in the city's south-west.
Anxious shoppers were filmed piling packets of toilet paper into their trolleys, some carrying two packs of 12 at a time.
The country's chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy, told Parliament panic buying toilet paper wasn't a 'proportionate or sensible thing to do at this time'.
But several shoppers told Daily Mail Australia they were stocking up on toilet paper out of fear they may 'miss out' amid the frenzy.
Australian evacuees who were quarantined on Christmas Island over concerns about the COVID-19 coronavirus arrive at Sydney Airport in Sydney, Monday, February 17
Images have shown empty shelves and trolleys filled to the brim at major supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths as people rush to fill their pantries.
It comes as the killer virus threatens to become a global pandemic, with 3,100 people already dead and more than 92,000 infected.
On Wednesday morning, shopping giant Woolworths introduced a four-pack limit to slow down the panic buying of toilet roll, as the government insists Australians should be going about their daily lives.
Woolworths said the four-pack limit would shore up stock levels in the face of 'higher than usual demand'.
One mother, Leanne McLennan, shared images to Facebook of her stockpile that she has been building for five years (pictured)
'Woolworths has today moved to apply a quantity limit on toilet paper packs to ensure more customers have access to these products,' the company said in a statement.
'The purchase limit of four packs per customer transaction applies in-store and online.'
Experts predict the number of cases is likely to soar in the coming days, with up to 96,000 residents at risk of dying from the respiratory disease.
Seven more people tested positive to COVID-19 in Australia on Tuesday alone - including the country's second case of human-to-human transmission - bringing the total number to 40.
Three more people were diagnosed on Wednesday.
Former Reserve Bank of Australia board member Warwick McKibbin warned a global pandemic could wipe out 68 million people worldwide, including 96,000 Australians.
