To battle the shortage of hand sanitisers in coronavirus-hit France, popular fashion brand Louis Vuitton's parent company LVMH has declared that they will convert their perfume factories to manufacture the anti-viral solutions.
The demand for hand sanitisers and surgical masks have gone up drastically following the outbreak of the pandemic. Panic-stricken civilians hoarding these products have made the situation worse across countries.
It is in this scenario that the French-based multinational corporation LVMH announced that they will produce hydroalcoholic gel in bulk and hand it over to the French Health Department for free.
“Given the risk of a shortage of hydroalcoholic gel in France, Bernard Arnault (company's majority shareholder) has instructed the LVMH Perfumes and Cosmetics business to prepare its production sites to manufacture substantial quantities of hydroalcoholic gel to be provided to public authorities,” a company statement that was released on Sunday read.
“Through this initiative, LVMH intends to help address the risk of a lack of product in France and enable a greater number of people to continue to take the right action to protect themselves against the spread of the virus,” the MNC with a €53.7 billion net income said.
LVMH added that they are all-go to continue the sanitiser production as long as necessary.
In India too, customers are complaining that these hygiene products are not available in the market despite their claims about production boost. “It is selling like a hot cake. The demand has gone up by 400 per cent. Nine out of 10 customers ask for hand sanitizers and liquid soaps. People are asking for these products in bulk but we are careful not to give them more than two bottles so that others may also get them,” said Arvind Arora, a pharmacist, Janakpuri.
Most cities, including the national capital region, are running out of protective masks and hand sanitizers after the government has declared them as an essential commodity, mainly due to hoarding by people as well as shopkeepers. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has already formed teams to take action against suppliers who are overcharging for masks and hand sanitizers and also those who are hoarding them at the time of crisis. Meanwhile, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in India has risen to over 120.