Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday said the state will produce its own line of hand sanitizer to be provided to agencies across the state. P-J photo by Jordan W. Patterson

On Monday, Reuters reported the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus was causing increased demand from ethanol producers as a result of a concerned public stockpiling of hand sanitizer.

Despite mounting tensions around the world, some local residents believe that basic hygiene remains the best method of prevention.

“To me, it doesn’t bother me too much,” said Mike Miceli, a former respiratory therapist at now UPMC Chautauqua. “I haven’t heard about (stockpiling), my wife does a lot of the shopping so I don’t go into Walmart very much. It is always good practice to have hand sanitizers and stuff like that I’m sure.”

Miceli voiced his concern that the virus is more likely to impact specific subgroups of the population, such as those with weakened immune systems.

“Immunodeficiency, people with immune system problems, I believe are having a lot of the issues and that is why it really doesn’t bother me (personally) too much but it is still something that — we don’t want to get it,” Miceli said. “The precautions that the states and the government is taking, I can understand that we are trying to keep an outbreak, I guess, protected.”

Staying committed to basic hand washing precautions and trying to limit exposure to anyone who might have the virus were Miceli’s main goals.

“It is another virus going around, it’s got some complications I think and everybody is trying to do what they should do to prepare for this but there is only so much we can do until we know more about it,” he said.

“I believe good hand washing, paying attention to all of the signs if someone might be sick, it will be a good thing to steer clear if you can. It is a virus and we have technology to help with the symptoms and stuff like that, but I do think as time goes on we will develop more help towards it.”

Depending on where people are employed, they may have different concerns about what precautions are necessary. For those in the service industry, increased vigilance may be the right move, while others work in areas where hygiene is already a top priority.

“I don’t really go around a lot of people, I have two autoimmune diseases so this time of year I stay away from people,” said Pam Ballard, who cleans homes. “I go to work and my customers usually aren’t there, and then I go home. When I go out in public I use the wipes on carts and everything else, which I have always done. I get sick — like that — so I’m basically doing the same things.”

Ballard has been committed to high levels of sanitation and hygiene for some time, for the benefit of her own personal health as well as for her clients. But still, the spread of coronavirus has heightened her awareness.

“I guess (I am) a little more cautious with touching stuff,” Ballard said. “When I go to my doctor’s office now I don’t want to touch anything. Nothing you really do other than washing is going to help, right? Just basic hygiene. People are doing masks and it doesn’t work, doesn’t do anything. It is basically washing your hands and antibacterial stuff.”

While some countries, including Italy and Japan, have taken steps to limit public gatherings, no such measures have been implemented in the U.S. as of yet.

“Some of my friends just got back from a cruise, so people are continuing, as far as I know, to just do stuff. I’m worried about it of course, because people like me with autoimmune stuff, we can get really sick really quick,” Ballard said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday announced that the state would produce its own line of hand sanitizer that will be provided to agencies across the state.

The governor also announced the New York State Department of Health will work with the New York State Education Department to issue guidance for schools with students, teachers or other staff who test positive for novel coronavirus. Under the policy, schools will close for an initial 24-hour period if a student or a teacher or any other staff at the school test positive for the coronavirus. This will allow the school to undergo disinfection, and for the state to perform an assessment of the situation and make a determination going forward in that particular school district.

“As the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continues to rise, unscrupulous retailers are exploiting New Yorkers’ anxieties about the virus and charging exorbitant prices for hand sanitizer and other similar products,” Cuomo said. “To solve this problem, the state is producing and deploying hand sanitizer to high impact areas as well as schools, the MTA and other government agencies because you can’t get it on the market and the product that is available is very expensive. The biggest problem we have in this situation is fear, not the virus itself, and I’m once again reminding everyone to focus on the facts because the facts do not warrant the level of anxiety we are seeing.”

Here are procedures recommended by county officials to prevent the spread of the disease:

– washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer;

– avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands;

– avoiding close contact with sick people;

– staying home when sick;

– covering a cough or sneeze with a tissue;

– cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces.