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Publix limiting purchases of hand sanitizer, other items amid outbreak of the coronavirus

Posted at 5:42 AM, Mar 09, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-09 08:42:50-04

Publix supermarkets are limiting the number of hand soaps, hand sanitizers and other items that customers can buy because of increased demand amid the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Stores are limiting customers to purchasing a maximum of two items for products such as gloves, wipes, and rubbing alcohol.

Signs posted on store shelves say, "Because of increased demand, customers are limited to two (2) of each item in the hand soaps & sanitizers section. Thank you for your understanding."

The move comes days after the nation's largest supermarket chain, Kroger, and it's affiliated grocery stores limited sales of hand sanitizer, sanitary wipes and other similar items to five per customer.

While the United States has seen the number of cases of confirmed cases of the coronavirus rise to over 500, health officials still say the risk to the average American still remains low. Officials urge that Americans not hoard face masks, hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies so that people with underlying health issues can still have access to such items.

This story was originally published by Jason Davis on WPTV in Palm Beach, Florida.