Canberra, Mar 19: South Australia (SA) has deregulated its retail sector to allow 24-hour trading to counter the coronavirus panic.
Under new trading rules announced by the state government on Wednesday, shops will be allowed to trade 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday for the first time, from 12:00 am to 9:00 pm on Saturday and from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sunday.
Previously shops were not allowed to remain open past 9:00 pm on weekdays and 5:00 pm on weekends.
The changes, which will come into effect on Saturday, were made to ensure that South Australians have adequate access to food and medical supplies.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure not only is the community protected and jobs sustained, but that we get through this stronger and more resilient,” Steven Marshall, the Premier of SA, told News Corp Australia.
“This will give traders the opportunity to spread their customer load over a longer number of hours.”
“We also anticipate this will help with jobs with more people needed to stock shelves.”
Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison on Wednesday morning delivered a blunt warning to Australians to “stop hoarding”, declaring the practice of panic-buying as “un-Australian.”
(AGENCIES)
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