Panic over the coronavirus in SA has resulted in pharmacies running out of face masks, hand sanitisers, gloves and liquid hand soaps.

Despite repeated pleas from the government not to panic, South Africans are bulk-buying face masks, gloves and hand sanitisers. This is forcing distributors to limit purchases by customers.

Chief commercial officer at Clicks Rachel Wrigglesworth said there has been an increase in sales of hygiene products and that their prices will remain unchanged.

“We are working hard to meet the surge in demand and are putting in place additional measures to ensure that shelves are restocked as quickly as possible” said Wrigglesworth.

Clicks, like others companies, said it was working on creating awareness about the virus among its staff by introducing daily training on Covid-19 and encouraging them to wash their hands regularly. Clicks is also introducing safety measures at their stores across the country.

“We will be placing trolley wipes and hand sanitisers at the front of stores and in the pharmacy for customers, and have increased cleaning frequency of our stores,” said Wrigglesworth.

Gautrain commuters expressed how content they are with efforts by the railway to bring about awareness and safety.

“It's good to see that there are awareness measures in place but it is concerning that SA hasn't placed a travel ban because these confirmed cases come from travellers,” said a commuter.