From Friday, the supermarket chain has introduced a range of measures to limit exposure to COVID-19, including having people pack their own groceries "to minimise both handling and close contact time".

"We'll be making a few changes at our supermarket checkouts to help with social distancing, Coles Group CEO Steven Cain said.

"We'll be asking you to queue at the marked signs in front of the checkout, along the belted area and when you're packing. When paying, we recommend card payments instead of cash, and we encourage you to use tap and go to make checking out as easy as possible.

"We'll be adding signs around our stores and at the checkout area to help you follow social distancing guidelines. The length of a trolley (1.5m) is a good guide for the distance you should keep from other customers and team members."

Single items at the store bakeries will now be individually pre-wrapped, and there will no longer be any slicing on demand for bread loaves.

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