Amazon's Prime Pantry service in the US was temporarily closed after orders spiked amid the coronavirus outbreak

• Amazon's Prime Pantry service is temporarily closed due to an increase in demand amid to the coronavirus.
• Amazon confirmed that the site will not accept new orders as it works to restock.
• Prime Pantry is one of many grocery-delivery services that are experiencing a spike in demand as more people stay at home due to the virus.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Amazon is temporarily closing down its Prime Pantry service after orders spiked due to the coronavirus outbreak.

As of Thursday afternoon, the Prime Pantry site read: "Pantry is temporarily closed. We are busy restocking." The site went on to say that due to a high volume of orders, Pantry is no longer accepting new orders. CNBC was the first to report the news.

"Amazon Pantry is not accepting new orders at this time while we work to fulfill open orders and restock items following increased demand," an Amazon spokesperson told Business Insider. "We are working hard to make these products available again and will update customers once we can take new orders."

In the grocery section of the Pantry site, there were only two available items as of Thursday afternoon: blueberry pie filling and sea salt and black pepper bagel crisps.

Prime Pantry allows members to shop for groceries in regular package sizes, with free shipping offered on orders of $35 or more. The service launched in April 2014.

Grocery and food delivery has become a common alternative as people stay inside to help avoid spreading the coronavirus. According to The Wall Street Journal, services like FreshDirect, PeaPod, and Walmart have all experienced high demand, leading to site issues and shortages.