In times of coronavirus: Shane Warne’s gin company to produce hand sanitizers

As Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison asked business companies to make a "wartime shift" and produce materials essential to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, Australia cricket legend Shane Warne has stepped up in this endeavour. Shane Warne, in an Instagram post, shared a press release which stated that his gin distillery SevenZeroEight has decided to produce hand sanitisers for hospitals.

"Shane Warne and his founders, which included 2 prominent WA surgical specialists, decided to stop production of their award-winning SevenZeroEight gin to shift to producing medical grade 70 per cent alcohol hand sanitizer until further notice," the press release said.

"An agreement has already been made to provide a continuous supply to two nominated Western Australian hospitals at cost," it further added. 

Speaking on the endeavour, Warne said: "This is a challenging time for Australians and we all need to do what we can to help our healthcare system combat this disease and save lives. I am happy SevenZeroEight has the ability to make this shift and encourage others to do the same."

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday declared a "human biosecurity emergency" and said the country's citizens should abandon all overseas travel because of the coronavirus epidemic that he warned could last at least six months. The formal declaration gives the government the power to close off cities or regions, impose curfews and order people to quarantine, if deemed necessary to contain the spread of the virus.

The upgrade in official advice to an unprecedented "Level 4: Do not travel" to any country in the world, was accompanied by a ban on any non-essential indoor gatherings of more than 100 people.

The coronavirus, which first broke out in Wuhan in China's Hubei province, has afflicted over 220,000 individuals, according to latest reports.