Company has been given permission to make 10,000 gallons of sanitizers a month, says CEO. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Murree Brewery to manufacture sanitizers as demand surge tempts fakes
Company has been given permission to make 10,000 gallons of sanitizers a month, says CEO
Murree Brewery, the country's only maker of alcoholic beverages, is planning to manufacture hand sanitizers after a surge in demand led to fake and ineffective hand washes propping up at stores.
Chief Executive Officer Isphanyar Bhandara told Bloomberg by phone that the company has been given permission to make 10,000 gallons of sanitizers a month. However, this could not be verified by the Punjab excise department as it did not respond to a request for comment.
The coronavirus outbreak has resulted in a run on sanitizers and lured manufacturers to sell products without the necessary alcohol content needed to kill viruses.
Dear all! As per PSQCA sample testing following 23 brands of Sanitizers are not in comformity with WHO standards, we have advised health departments to remove these brands from stores. pic.twitter.com/Aj5gbSgIsD
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 3, 2020
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government ordered 23 brands that did not meet the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards to be removed from stores. The virus has infected about 2,000 people and killed 34 in the country.
'Low testing rate leaves Pakistan, India blindfolded in dealing with COVID-19'
Pakistan has been locked down as the government tried to stop the disease from spreading. The Sindh government enforced a “curfew-like” lockdown for three hours beginning 12 noon Friday to deter people from coming out of their homes for prayers, officials said.
“In the greater interest of saving lives, a decision to ban the prayer congregations at mosques was taken following a meeting of clerics from all schools of thought. Islamic Sharia allows it,” said Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh’s minister for local bodies and information.
Health workers fighting coronavirus pelted with stones in India
Khan’s government has also announced a stimulus package of more than 400 billion rupees ($2.5 billion) while the central bank announced an interest-rate cut in an unscheduled meeting to support the slowing economy.
Moody’s Investors Service revised its forecast for Pakistan’s growth to range between 2% and 2.5%, the lowest in a decade, from an earlier forecast of 2.9%.
This article originally appeared on Bloomberg
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