“Keeping your hands clean will help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Seriously, @amazon? These prices are absurd,” Newsom tweeted.
A check of the website on Tuesday evening revealed several listings averaging around $40 for an eight-ounce bottle of Purell, over ten times the typical price. One listing offered a case of 12 one-ounce bottles for $3,892.84, which equals just over $324 per ounce.
Hand sanitizers may be an effective way to guard against some viruses when soap and water are not available. Coronavirus can be killed by hand sanitizers containing at least 60 percent ethyl or isopropyl alcohol.
However, health experts say that the best way to guard against catching or spreading any disease is by using soap and water and vigorously washing your hands for at least 20 seconds. They also recommend avoiding touching your mouth, nose and eyes if you can’t be certain your hands are clean, along with cleaning frequently touched items like cell phones after being in public.
The company said they removed over a million listings last week that attempted to mislead people over the virus, including tens of thousands of offers that were attempting to profit by price gouging, according to a report from Reuters.
Attempts to take advantage by profiting off fears of the coronavirus could continue online and elsewhere, especially as the virus continues to spread.
There were over 92,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide, with over 3,000 deaths as of Tuesday. Cases in the U.S. had risen to 109 with nine deaths, although experts expect the numbers will quickly rise as testing becomes more widely available this week.
