Despite shoppers being urged to refrain from panic-buying, thousands of consumers in Kent have continued to stock up their supplies and leave shelves barren.

It has resulted in supermarket chains introducing dedicated shopping hours for specific groups, and enforcing restrictions on the number of products that each person can buy.

Scroll down for a graphic comparing each supermarket

KentOnline has compiled details on how Sainsbury's, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose, Iceland, Co-op and M&S are responding to the pressures of coronavirus.

Sainsbury's

NHS and social care staff have been designated a half-hour slot for six days of the week. Doors are open from 7.30am until 8am, Monday to Saturday.

Elderly and vulnerable people are allocated a 'golden hour' between 8am and 9am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The stores will then open up for all others after 9am, with customers advised to stand at least a metre from staff. Each supermarket will be open until 8pm.

Customers are only allowed to buy two of particular items, such as milk, toilet paper and soap. In-store meat, fish, and pizza counters are closed.

Groceries are also being rationed, with customers only allowed to buy three of each item.

Tesco

NHS workers are allowed to enter stores one hour before the checkouts open. This is limited to just Sundays.

They can browse aisles and select items but cannot pay until the tills open as usual.

The elderly and vulnerable have a designated hour from 9am until 10am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The bigger 24-hour Tesco branches have reduced opening times from 6am until 10pm to allow for stock to be replenished each day.

Shoppers are limited to buying three of each item across all food and household products.

There's a tighter two-item limit imposed on toilet roll and paracetamol.

Asda

NHS workers are able to shop Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am until 9am.

Last Friday, Asda did have an early opening for "the most vulnerable and those who support them", however, no further measures for the elderly have since been announced.

All customers are being urged to pay via contactless card payments. Asda's 24-hour stores are closed during the night from 12am until 6am. The firm is planning to recruit 5,000 extra people and has asked its employees to encourage friends and family without a job to apply.

Shoppers can buy up to three items on all food, toiletries and cleaning products.

Morrisons

NHS employees can do their shopping Monday to Saturday from 7am until 8am.

All stores countywide are open from 8am until 8pm for every other customer.

There is a maximum order number on a 1,250 of its products.

Morrisons is installing perspex screens to block the spread of germs at checkouts.

Lidl

As it stands, there are no special hours introduced.

The firm is hiring 2,500 new temporary workers to help cater for the increased demand during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Like elsewhere, there are purchasing restrictions on a number of products.

Aldi

Like its German counterpart, Aldi is not currently offering designated shopping hours for specific people.

All of its stores close at 8pm. Clear protective screens are being installed at checkouts to protect both customers and workers.

There is a four-item restriction on almost all products.

Nappies toilet paper and kitchen roll are restricted to two items per customer.

Waitrose

The high-end supermarket is only allowing the customers that are elderly and vulnerable to shop during the first hour of opening.

Bosses warn that some stores will close earlier than usual in order to keep stocking up.

Waitrose food store at Bluewater is currently shut.

A range of products are limited to three purchases at a time, while only two toilet paper items can be bought with each visit.

Iceland

Opening hours for NHS workers and the elderly have been left at the discretion of individual store managers.

Iceland bosses are encouraging their stores to offer a 'priority hour' but are not enforcing a blanket order. Instead, they say individual shop managers understand their community better and will know what is best to do.

The stores which are running a special hour are doing so from 8am until 9am.

Bosses say they are reviewing what more could be done to help vulnerable and healthcare workers.

Co-op

There is a special shopping hour every day of the week for NHS staff.

Co-op stores are not closed to other customers at that time, but bosses are asking for people to give priority to healthcare workers.

NHS staff can shop from 8am until 9am, Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, the special hour runs from 10am until 11am.

The Co-op has announced it will create 5,000 jobs to provide temporary employment for hospitality workers who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus crisis.

M&S

The elderly and vulnerable are allocated the first hour opening on Mondays and Thursdays, while healthcare workers have Tuesday and Friday.

Across all grocery products, there is a two-item limit per person.

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