All the latest lockdown supermarket rules including Tesco, Asda and Morrisons

What new rules apply when grocery shopping, read on for updates on the nation’s big supermarkets

England has entered another nationwide lockdown in a bid to curb coronavirus case numbers: one in every 50 people now has the virus, with the number rising to one in 30 in London.

From Wednesday 6 January, the stay at home order is in place that only permits people to leave the house for a limited number of reasons, including exercise and food shopping.

Non-essential shops have closed their doors once more. Supermarkets, while open, are required to follow strict guidelines. 

Read more: UK lockdown rules explained

We’ve mapped out what the largest supermarkets in the UK are doing to stay Covid-secure.

Tesco

The UK’s largest supermarket chain has a "traffic light" system its larger stores, to help manage the flow in and out of the store. This will likely cause queues outside, so the company will be "handing out sanitised umbrellas in our larger stores". 

Hand sanitiser and cleaning stations will also be available in-store, and there are screens at the checkouts, plus signage throughout the stores explaining how customers can adhere to social distancing.

Face coverings are required in store, unless you are exempt from wearing one. "If you forget to bring one, we have packs available to buy at the front of our stores, which you can open immediately and pay for with your shopping later," says the official Tesco in-store shopping safely guide. 

Tesco is also continuing to offer shopping for vulnerable customers at certain times of day, enter your postcode online for more information. Those with a valid NHS, emergency service or care workers card can come straight to the front of the queue.

Asda

Asda asks all its customers to remain two metres away from one another, to only handle products you intend to buy, and to pay by card or mobile app where possible.

All customers must wear face coverings while in-store. "Customers can enter Asda stores without a face covering if they have a medical condition or invisible disability that prevents them from wearing a covering," say Asda's official guidelines. Staff except from wearing face coverings will be wearing a badge.

Customers can open a packet of disposable masks and use one before they pay for the packet in store.

One thousand new Asda Safety Marshals may reiterate government guidelines or help customers keep a social distance in store, they will be "stationed in the front of every store and in the aisles of larger stores".

Asda has also added cleaning stations and will provide additional hand sanitisation in the store's busiest sections.

The company's shopping baskets will also have a Biomaster X shield coating  (a protective coating with an antimicrobial surface to help limit the spread of coronavirus) on the handles.

There are screens at checkouts, but customers can also use the "Scan and Go" mobile service "Customers can use their own device to scan their shopping and pack as they go," explains Asda.

Some stores are now open 24 hours. See the store locator here.

Waitrose

On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the first working hour of the day at Waitrose will be prioritised for elderly and vulnerable shoppers. Some store hours may alter slightly during lockdown.

In-store, there will also be dedicated marshals managing queues, and reminding customers to keep a safe distance.

There will also be signage around the aisles. There will be hand sanitiser stations at store entrances.

Waitrose encourages cashless payments.

Face masks are required, unless you are exempt. Children under 11 don't have to wear a face covering, in Scottish shops children under the age of five don't need a face covering. "Please remember that not all disabilities are visible," says Waitrose "so please be understanding of other shoppers who may not be able to follow this rule."

Aldi

"If you can’t make it into one of our stores, we are increasing the availability of our new click and collect service, which is now available in 12 locations, with more stores being added weekly," Aldi says.

This supermarket chain ensures protective screens across its 7,000 checkouts and sanitation stations in store, plus social distancing signage.

It encourages non-cash payments, and has a contactless limit of £45 per transaction.

Vulnerable customers are allowed priority access at specific times, and priority is also given to NHS staff and Blue Light cardholders.

"There is no need to buy more than normal so please shop considerately," says the company "If you can’t make it into one of our stores, we are increasing the availability of our new click and collect service, which is now available in 12 locations, with more stores being added weekly."

Aldi's busiest time is between 11am-3pm, and the company has extended its hours so shopping can be done more safely. Normal Sunday opening hours remain the same.

Sainsbury’s

This national supermarket has “greeters” to manage people coming into the store and make sure they are wearing the appropriate face coverings. 

“If you do not have a face covering when you arrive at a store, our colleagues will help you find one,” states the company website. 

All staff, who are not exempt, will be wearing a face-covering in stores. Sainsbury's offers priority access and home delivery for vulnerable customers. Its capacity has massively increased since the start of the pandemic, with some 700,000 weekly slots for home delivery and Click and Collect. 

Sainsbury's is welcoming new customer registrations online for home delivery and Click and Collect, plus those eligible are asked to sign up for new delivery pass registrations, which requires an upfront fee and then no delivery charges on your online orders for up to 12 months. 

There is also a telephone ordering service and Sainsbury's says it has "five times the number of colleagues on hand to help with this". Opening hours have also been increased at many stores nationwide. "NHS and care workers will still have priority entry from 7:30am to 8am Monday to Saturday and elderly, vulnerable and disabled customers will still have priority entry from 8am to 9am Monday, Wednesday and Friday," says the company website. 

There are new customer hand-sanitising stations in supermarkets around the country, for hands and trollies, while those filling up their cars with Sainsbury's petrol will be protected by  perspex safety screens in store. Those who want to shop for elderly, disabled and vulnerable people can use a Volunteer Shopping Card, a charge card that can be topped up by the person they are shopping for with a weekly spend, from between £5 – £250. 

Morrisons

Those who work for the NHS have priority access to Morrisons stores between 6-7am, Monday to Saturday, and 9:30am on Sundays, when they can shop during a less busy time of day.

Online orders must be placed ahead of time as delivery times are booking out fast.

As of September, Morrisons has reintroduced its queuing systems. “Due to customer feedback we have taken the decision to reintroduce our queue system and marshals,” the store says. "We would like to continue to make our customers and colleagues feel safe."

Front-of-store hosts are in place to monitor customer numbers, and marshals will help with queues. The company has hired thousands of new members of cleaning staff, and will also be offering more hygiene measures, including cleaning stations outside.

Lidl

The German supermarket chain has a "crowd-control system" in place, with security guards and designated team members tasked with maintaining social-distancing measures in-store. There's also a traffic light system in place so you can find a quieter time to shop, and staff will keep track of how many customers are in store, so the shop never gets too busy.

“Rest assured we are continuing to work closely with the government during these challenging times to ensure the correct measures are put in place in our stores, for the safety of both our team members and customers,” the company tells shoppers on its website.

Wearing a face mask is required in store at all times, exemptions will apply for customers and members of staff with medical conditions.

The supermarket has added gloves along with tongs in its bakery section, to prevent cross-contamination, and Lidl is pre-bagging items where possible.

Checkout screens are provided for customer and staff safety. There are also trolley and basket-cleaning stations in-store.