Coronavirus outbreak panic buyers, toilet paper: Tamworth Regional Council considers delivery curfew lift

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted supply chains and made it tougher for staff to restock supermarket shelves.

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has asked for curfews to be lifted.

In Tamworth alone, toilet paper has been completely cleared, one man assaulted two women in a confrontation over the shortage.

The council's general manager Paul Bennett said he is looking into changing the curfews on delivery.

"I think that's something that right across Australia people are being very mindful of," he said.

"There has been a request from the NSW Local Government to the Department of Planning asking for councils to have the ability to automatically vary the goods into supermarkets.

"We're certainly looking at that right now."

The ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman has said curfews on delivery trucks is making overnight trips impossible.

That leads to empty shelves for shoppers, with Woolworths announcing it is selling seven weeks worth of toilet paper daily.

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Tamworth's curfews will depend on the development and location, and whether or not the supermarket is in a residential area or the CBD, Mr Bennett said.

"The access and the type of trucks might also have to change, so we're looking at the whole range of access issues for different types of premises," he said.

"We have to make sure that we can continue to meet community needs."

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