It was announced on March 3rd that Palau might have its first coronavirus case. In response to this announcement the public has gone to the major stores and purchased nearly all hand sanitizers with only a few remaining at WCTC.
Surech, who’s a supervisor at WCTC said that the line’s in their stores were long with people buying hand sanitizers and in a span of two days, they are almost out of hand sanitizers.
Similar to WCTC, Surangel& Sons also ran out of sanitizers within two days of the coronavirus announcement. Additionally, they also ran out of rubbing alcohol and face masks. Keida, a cashier atSurangel& Sons recalled how scared the customers were as they purchased the items.
The Ministry of Health is currently monitoring the patient with the suspected symptoms. The patient is not suspected case but a person under investigation based on Emergency Protocols established by the US Center for Disease Control. The patient is a 73-year-old woman that came from Oregon State, United States.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health urges the public to stay calm and to continue practicing measures to prevent respiratory illness such as covering the mouth while coughing, frequent handwashing with soap and to clean hands with 70% alcohol-based sanitizer.