Waitrose has requested that couples and families refrain from shopping together, in a bid to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

The supermarket – which has 338 sites across the UK – rolled out the measure this week following concerns that groups had been congregating on its premises.

Going forward, only one person per household should be permitted to shop for essentials in its stores, the retailer said.

Waitrose said it took the decision in order to comply with the government’s guidance on social-distancing.

However, the retailer recognises that it may not be possible for everyone to shop alone and would apply common sense in such cases.

A spokesperson added: “In line with the government’s guidance on social distancing we’re asking customers to help us manage the number of people in our shops – by sending only one member of the household to do their shopping, if they possibly can.

“While this won’t be possible for everybody, we are very grateful for our customers’ support in this difficult situation.”

A number of other supermarkets have introduced stricter measures for customers during the outbreak.

Last week, ASDA Lidl and Tesco all announced that they would be limiting the number of shoppers allowed into their stores at any given time.

The supermarkets also put in place floor markers and barriers to help customers observe the safe two-metre social-distancing guidelines set out by the World Health Organisation.

Roger Burnley, chief executive and president of Asda, said: “It has never been more important for us to work together to keep our distance.”

He added: “I want you to know that everyone at Asda is working tirelessly to make sure you have the essentials your family needs and that you can shop in our stores safely if you need to visit us.

“We’re working hard to protect you and our colleagues – please help us to do so by following the guidelines in place.”

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