HOUSTON – As concerns over the coronavirus rise in the country, a Texas-based grocery store chain on Monday announced limits on purchases of hand sanitizer and hand soap.
Lisa Helfman, public affairs director for H-E-B, said customers will be restricted to four bottles of hand sanitizer and four bottles of hand soap per transaction in one shopping trip.
Helfman said the move is meant to ensure that all H-E-B customers have access to the products.
The announcement comes after the first two coronavirus deaths in the U.S. were reported. Both deaths happened in Washington state.
Over the weekend, officials said that a patient who had traveled to China was released from isolation but returned after a preliminary test showed a positive result for the coronavirus.
Rice University also announced over the weekend that a small group of employees and students have been ordered to self-quarantine after a possible exposure to the illness. The move was “out of an abundance of caution,” officials said.