Sainsbury's explains why it has lifted shopping restrictions on 'thousands of items'

It has lifted restrictions on thousands of products to help customers shop for people in the ‘vulnerable’ group who are unable to leave their homes.

Supermarkets began to ration popular items as they battled to keep shelves stocked due to panic buying in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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In a letter to customers Sainsbury's chief executive Mike Coupe has announced he is lifting some restrictions after shoppers told him that product limits were a barrier to buying items for others.

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Restrictions will remain in place for items such as pasta and long-life milk, which have been limited to two per customer.

The letter says: “You wrote to tell me that product limits were a barrier to being able to shop for other people.

“We understand that it can be difficult to buy what you need and shop for someone else with the three-item product limit.

“We have now lifted buying restrictions on thousands of products and hope that this will help more of you to shop for others.”

Mr Coupe said that stock levels are ‘now much better’ across stores, but limits will remain on pasta, UHT milk, antibacterial products and some tinned and frozen foods.

The supermarket is also offering an additional 150,000 elderly and vulnerable customers a priority delivery slot, after giving 450,000 the opportunity last week.

The new customers are matched from a government database, where people registered to say they are vulnerable and need assistance in getting a food shop.

In Sheffield, a total of 60 patients have died after contracting coronavirus.

There have been 23 deaths in Barnsley and 14 in Rotherham.

Twenty patients being treated by the Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Trust have also died but it is not yet known how many of the fatalities were from Doncaster.

Nationally, in the daily government briefing, it was revealed that the death toll had gone up by 758.

It brings the total number of confirmed hospital deaths in England to 5,655 - up from 4,897 at the same time on Monday.