NY to Produce Own Hand Sanitizers to Alleviate Shortage

New York – Government hand sanitizers are on the way.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that the state will provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer to New Yorkers free of charge to help combat a shortage of the product and reduce price-gouging.

The state will produce up to 100,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week in 1.7 oz., 7 oz. and gallon bottles. The sanitizers will be made available to residents free of charge, and distribution will be prioritized by the most impacted and high risk communities such as in New Rochelle, where most of the 142 confirmed cases of coronavirus are clustered.

The products will be manufactured by the state’s inmates under the supervision of the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Production has already begun at Great Meadow Correctional Facility in Comstock.

Some retailers have reportedly been charging up to ten times the price major retailers charge for hand sanitizer. On eBay, a pack of five 2.5-ounce Germ-X hand sanitizer bottles were selling for $500. By comparison, two 30-ounce bottles of Germ-X were offered online by Walmart for less than $8.

There are 37 new cases of novel coronavirus in New York state over the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 142.

Cuomo also announced a new policy requiring schools to close for at least 24 hours when one of its students, teachers or staff members test positive for coronavirus. This will allow the school to be disinfected.

While the policy will not have an immediate effect — over a dozen schools have chosen to close on their own volition across the state — it will give the state control over when they will reopen. State officials will be charged with performing an assessment of the situation and making a determination whether the school can reopen.

(Photo by: Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)