Prime Minister Scott Morrison has spoken to Australia's major supermarkets about their plans as shoppers worried about coronavirus clear shelves at some stores.
As the government ramps up its response to the deadly outbreak that has so far infected 34 people in Australia, some consumers have begun preparing for the worst and stocked up on basics including tinned food and toilet paper.
The prime minister consulted with supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths, with the fallout affecting global supply chains and consumer behaviour.
"I am not concerned but I thought it was important to have an understanding from those major companies about the processes they are putting in place about how they will continue delivering services to the Australian community," Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra.
Images of empty supermarket shelves at some stores have been circulating since the weekend.
Mr Morrison said he was satisfied with their plans and said the problem was not as widespread as the photos suggested.
"There's obviously some lines which will be more tested in short term, but they are working on those."
A Coles spokesperson said they had increased the number of deliveries to stores this week to meet the increased demand for products such as long-life pantry staples and healthcare items.
"Like many retailers, we currently have a shortage of some antibacterial handwashes and hand sanitiser products due to high customer demand," the spokesperson said in a statement.
While the government is considering using biosecurity control orders to direct Australians suspected of carrying the coronavirus to remain in lockdown or ban mass gatherings, Mr Morrison said people should continue going about their business as usual.
"I am looking forward to getting to places of mass gathering, particularly if it involves my football team playing, or going to kids' concerts," he said.
Health Minister Greg Hunt, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy give an update on coronavirus. Source: AAP
There have been 34 cases detected in Australia, with 21 people fully recovered and one death.
Mr Morrison has also asked for a reassessment of travel and border control arrangement for higher risk groups in Italy and South Korea where there is a high number of coronavirus cases.
"I would note that those cases are quite different to some of the others because we are dealing with more advanced health systems in those places," he told reporters in Canberra on Tuesday.
"We will continue to look to the health advice, which has not been - up until this point - to make any changes to those arrangements."
Travel bans remain in place for foreign nationals arriving from Iran and China, but the government has indicated further travel bans are unlikely to have any effect on the spread of the disease.
Mr Morrison said Treasury was working with other government agencies to come up with a plan to boost the economy.
"It will be a targeted plan. It will be a measured plan. It will be a scalable plan," he said.
"It will be targeted on the real diagnosis of the economic issue we are looking to confront here."
Of the 34 cases detected in Australia, 15 were linked to China and have all recovered from the virus, and 10 became infected after travelling on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.
Globally there have been more than 88,500 infections and more than 3000 deaths spanning 67 countries and regions.
