Bottle shops have been no different as people have stocked up on something some would argue is just as important as groceries - alcohol.

Orange Cellars manager George Eleftheriou said traffic had nearly doubled in the past fortnight.

"It's been a lot busier in the past few weeks," Mr Eleftheriou said.

He said beer and wine had been the two things people had been going for, but there'd been "nothing silly" with people hoarding booze in the same way people had hit supermarket shelves, but said they'd been twice as busy as usual for this time of year.

"People are mainly going for beer, your regular [customer] buying one might grab two or three, and people have been grabbing more wine in the afternoons," he said.

"It's been nothing silly, not as bad as supermarkets."

Orange Cellars hasn't put any restrictions on what you can buy, unlike a few stores across the city which are limiting sales of beers and wine per person in the same way supermarkets are only allowing a few packets of pasta.

He said while being classed as essential the bottle shop would stay open - with no indication they would be classed as 'non-essential' as of Friday - but changes may be on the way.

"Eventually we'll go to drive-thru only and look to stop taking cash but we're keeping up all the precautions so far," Mr Eleftheriou said.

However, there was no danger of the country running dry and no need to stockpile just yet.

"The brewers are all going full steam ahead," he said.

As of Friday, supermarkets, bottle shops, pharmacies and petrol stations were all considered "essential" and would not close, while hairdressers and barbers may stay open with limits on how many people can be inside.

Food vendors may remain open as long as they provide takeaway service, but restaurants, pubs, clubs, auction houses, galleries, libraries, swimming pools, tattoo and massage parlours and gyms must remain closed.

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