The supermarket has altered its opening times to cope with the demand from shoppers.

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When are Asda branches opening and closing?

Asda is prioritising NHS staff and care workers in their larger stores every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8am to 9am.

It has also allocated Sundays from 9am to 10am for browsing.

And the store has introduced early closures to help restock shelves.

The store has temporarily reduced its normal opening to 8am to 10pm Monday to Saturday to ensure it can clean and fully re-stock shelves ready for customers.

Some stores' opening times vary from 6am to 8am, so make sure you check your local branch before heading over.

You can use its store locator tool to find your nearest, and Asda says this will be updated with the new hours.

The supermarket has around 600 stores UK-wide.

Asda has temporarily closed its 24 hour stores to allow for safe restocking and rotisserie and pizza counters are also closed.

Does Asda have any special opening hours?

Yes. Asda operates special opening hours for NHS workers.

• Asda has no dedicated hours set for the elderly and vulnerable as yet. However, it has created a special Volunteer Shopping Card for those shopping for these groups..
• NHS workers will be prioritised in larger stores from 8am-9am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
• Asda CEO, Roger Burnley, said: “We all have a clear responsibility to look after each other during this crisis, particularly our most vulnerable groups.
  “I was heartened to see how our customers respected this priority access and am proud to be able to extend it to more regular days and also include our amazing NHS colleagues who can access our stores with a little more ease.”

Join our George Cross campaign for NHS staff

SUN readers are today urged to sign a petition calling for our NHS staff to be awarded the George Cross.

Yesterday, we backed a proposal by Lord Ashcroft to honour our health heroes with the gallantry gong given for acts of bravery that did not take place in battle.

A No10 spokesman said: “The NHS is doing a fantastic job and the nation will want to find a way to say thank you when we have defeated this virus.”

SAS hero Andy McNab added: “The award of a George Cross would show an emotional appreciation.”

We are asking readers to sign the petition online at thesun.co.uk/georgecrossfornhs.

When is the best time to shop there?

Google has a tracker which allows you to see when the peak times are.

If you search for “Asda” and then click on your nearest store, it will show a bar chart of when the store’s busiest times are.

What should I buy when I’m there?

The Government and supermarkets have urged shoppers not to panic buy and have repeatedly said there is “enough food for everyone”.

We have compiled a list of what the best items are to get for a two week shop now that Boris Johnson has told Brits to shop as infrequently as possible.

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Is there a limit on items?

Yes. From Wednesday, March 18, the supermarket has only allowed customers to purchase a maximum of three items covering all food, toiletries and cleaning products.

Its cafes and and pizza counters are also closed for the foreseeable future.

We've also revealed why people are panic buying toilet paper, handwash, and pasta.

Can I order online?

Asda is open for online shopping, with free deliveries on orders over £40, and free click and collect  on orders over £25.

However, like rival Tesco, the retailer has currently sold out of online delivery slots.

Additionally, supermarkets have asked for customers to tell them if they are self isolating to reduce the risk of the infection spreading.

The store is recruiting by working with more than 20 national companies in food services and travel industries to take on staff in need of work.

At Asda, workers will be offered shifts or temporary roles, the supermarket said, to help other companies that have been hard hit by the virus.

How is Asda enforcing social distancing rules?

Asda is taking the following steps to comply with government social distancing advice:

• Shoppers have been ordered to keep two metres away from each other and staff.
• Customers are requested to make contactless payments wherever possible and only touch items they intend to buy.
• Customers with a continuous cough, temperature or shortage of breath are asked not to enter Asda stores.
• Asda cafes and deli counters have closed temporarily to prioritise getting essential products to the shelves.
• Hand sanitiser, equipment cleaning materials and disposable gloves have been made available to online delivery drivers.
• All delivery orders have been bagged to allow for contactless deliveries.
• Floor markings have been placed 2m apart across checkouts, self-scan, kiosks, pharmacy, optical and service desks to help customers observe social distancing.
• Where necessary, the number of customers in stores is limited at any one time so social distancing can be observed.
• All in store and online delivery workers are supplied with hand sanitiser. Additionally, checkout and online delivery colleagues are given gloves, while pharmacy and optical colleagues are supplied with face masks to wear during consultation when required to be within 2 metres of a patient.
• Perspex screens will be introduced at checkouts and kiosks to protect checkout staff.

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