Liquor Manufacturers Become An Unexpected Hero During The Coronavirus Pandemic
Alcohol manufacturers have become an unexpected hero during the coronavirus pandemic. Could the liquor store near you become an essential business during this time of uncertainty? Apart from allowing us all to take a drink when the corona conundrum gets too real, there may be a more vital role alcohol manufacturers and liquor stores near you play in the bigger picture of this pandemic. Amrut Distilleries, located in Bengaluru, India has already shifted gears, making hand sanitizer its primary focus in the fight against this pandemic.
An Unexpected Commodity
In the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic, consumers are stocking up on all sorts of goods, and clearing out the stores in the process. Grocery goods, medical supplies, and sanitary items are flying off the shelves. One item in particular has become a particularly hot commodity: hand sanitizer.
Yes. Hand sanitizer- what you could once get in a handy rubber holder for $2.00 has now become an essential commodity- talk about a shift in economies. According to CNBC, the price of hand sanitizer is skyrocketing around the globe due to high demand and rationing by manufacturers. Sales have increased by about 255% in February, and they are only expected to increase. Online stocks of hand sanitizer gels by many major companies have sold out completely. This is all due to the fact that health authorities have deemed antibacterial liquid soap and liquid gel hand sanitizers an effective method for preventing the spread and contraction of the coronavirus.
The Good, The Bad, & The Stingy
Most people during this pandemic are just trying to ensure their means to survival. Many civilians stocked up on food items, masks, sanitary products, medical needs, and other necessities to prepare for quarantines and worse-case scenarios. There has been a lot of conflicting information regarding the duration and severity of the social isolation periods, ranging anywhere from a couple of weeks to 18 months or longer. Some people have already begun to capitalize on this situation, and it could be putting the rest of society at higher risk.
There has been an upsurgence of hoarders, speculators, profiteers, and black marketeers exploiting the sudden demand for items like toilet paper, masks, hand sanitizers, and the materials used to make them. To combat the effects of this rampant opportunism, many governments may place a cap on the prices of these items under the Essential Commodities Act. Everyone pitching in will help curtail the possible shortage of essential items and help the government regulate them.
Where Alcohol Manufacturers Come In
Even though soap and hand sanitizers are antibacterial, they are still an effective way of combating the spread of the virus, because of the alcohol they contain, also known as ethanol. The anatomy of the coronavirus makes them vulnerable to alcohol- the outermost layer includes the tiny, spikey spires that jut out from the base, giving it the “halo” appearance it has under a microscope. Scientists remark that this resembles a “crown”, which in latin, translates to “corona”. Beneath this layer lies the virus’s achilles heel: the lipid layer. Lipids are fats, which get broken down in the presence of alcohol, much like butter or oil on a pan gets broken down and cleaned off a dirty pan with soap and warm water- it’s the same concept.
What This Could Mean for Liquor Stores Near You
This means that many or even all manufacturers of alcohol could potentially become essential manufacturers and may be asked to put a price cap on their products, designating the raw material to the production of hand sanitizers and soaps in order to keep prices at bay. The local liquor store near you that once produced vodka, gin, and all of your favorites spirits, could temporarily become a designated hand sanitizer warehouse, a potentially vital keystone to society’s survival.
Hundreds of distilleries in America have already geared up to produce hand sanitizer, and the numbers are only growing. Distilleries such as Amrut quickly sought approval from the government to manufacture hand sanitizer during the coronavirus outbreak. Since then, they have produced hand sanitizers, as per the World Health Organization’s guidelines, and handed them over to government officials, who then distribute them to healthcare workers and hospitals testing for and treating cases of coronavirus. Amrut plans to soon extend this service to ambulances in order to protect essential paramedical staff members. These acts of cooperation and demonstrations of communities coming together during times of need are incredibly uplifting.
Distilleries, breweries, and wineries normally require ethanol to produce alcoholic beverages, but given the current situation, these manufacturers have taken on a new role- as the providers of an essential commodity that serve as the lifeblood to the many vulnerable individuals during this pandemic.