In fact government regulations restrict the supply of medications outside of standard quantities, to prevent the shortages that have occurred in other segments. In the pharmaceutical industry it can take a long time to resume normal supply levels if they fall into deficit, so measures are in place to prevent that happening.

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Mr Ebbern urged customers to seek the advice of staff if their regular medications aren't readily available as there's always a workaround.

"If there's no Children's Panadol on the shelves we can adjust the dosage of the adult version to make it suitable, for instance," he said.

"Just come and talk to us."

It's the same for organising deliveries to those who are housebound for any reason. A drop-off may be able to be arranged, so phone in.

"We'll always find a way," Mr Ebbern said.

His advised Tenterfield residents to remain aware of the issues around how the virus is transmitted, with social distancing so vital.

In the pharmacy you will find staff maintaining the minimum 1.5 metre distance, and in-store practices such as reducing the need to sign documents are among a range of measures in place to reduce physical contact, to protect customers and staff alike.

The Amcal smartphone app is another way to maintain your distance. Download the app and contact the store for an activation code. Then repeats can be ordered through the app, which will also keep track of dispensing history.

It even keeps track of non-prescription medicines, vitamins and supplements, and can provide reminders throughout the day of when medication should be taken.

There's also the facility to link others to the account to oversee their prescriptions.

For the less tech-savvy, the existing practice of lodging scripts with the pharmacy and then phoning through a request for a repeat remains in place, coupled with the option of home delivery.

Mr Ebbern said it would be prudent to prepare for the onset of COVID-19 by having some paracetamol and cold and flu tablets on hand, along with lozenges to deal with a sore throat.

To stave off infection and prepare the body to deal with the virus should you succumb, he said adequate sleep, a healthy diet and particularly exercise is important, as regular exercise helps to improve lung function, which improves our ability to fight off respiratory illness.

In short, maintain (or adopt) the healthy lifestyle we should all be having anyway, confident in the fact that pharmaceutical support is always at hand.

"It's been chaos the past two or three weeks, but we have all the basic medications so there's no need for panic," Mr Ebben said.