Gilbert, one of France’s main producers of such gels, says the surge in demand during the 2009 swine flu pandemic was nothing like the current clamour for the product
Empty shelves for hand sanitisers are seen at a store in Johannesburg, on March 6, 2020, following the government announcement on March 5 of the first confirmed case in South Africa of COVID-19 caused by coronavirus. Picture: MICHELE SPATARI / AFPThe production lines are whirling at Gilbert, one of France's main producers of sanitising gels, in a bid to meet the soaring demand for the bottles by people hoping to fend off infection in the face of the coronavirus outbreak.
Governments have insisted that while such alcohol-based gels are helpful, it is just as effective to properly wash hands.This family owned business, which mainly supplies pharmacies and hospitals, produces 80,000-100,000 plastic bottles of gel every day at three sites in the region. Gilbert, which says it is the second-largest producer of gels by sales in pharmacies in France, has sold 1.7-million bottles in the last six weeks compared with 800,000 for all of 2019.
Gilbert has taken on about 30 more employees for now, and also plans to keep production lines running on a Saturday. But on Monday it will open a new production line for gels at its plant in Plouedern, which produces 65 bottles a minute.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Coronavirus: Increased demand for sanitisers in SAAuthorities have been urging citizens not to panic, following the news of the first COVID-19 case in South Africa.
Read more »
Coronavirus case in SA sparks run on hand sanitiser, wipes and liquid hand soapSome pharmacies and stores have run out of hand sanitiser and face masks in the wake of the first confirmed coronavirus - Covid-19 - case in KwaZulu-Natal.
Read more »
Panic buying follows coronavirus across the globehelves are being stripped bare of toilet rolls, hand sanitiser and surgical masks as panic buying criss-crosses the globe.
Read more »
Coronavirus in SA — 13 things you need to doNow that the virus is in SA, here are the 14 things you need to know and do. CoronaVirusSA
Read more »
Amplats declares force majeure and warns of 900,000oz output dropWorld number two PGM producer says it cannot meet contracted supplies after major problems at a critical plant in its processing division
Read more »
CPUT closed after night of violence which saw vehicles torched, 4 protesters arrestedThe overnight violence occurred despite CPUT management meeting with the Students Representative Council (SRC) on Thursday and receiving a list of demands.
Read more »