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CVS Warns There Could Be a Shortage of Hand Sanitizer

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Nadler Demands Information From Barr Over Claims of Political Interference

The House Judiciary Committee on Friday sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) requesting documents and interviews with former and current department officials over claims of “improper political interference” in the way several department matters have been handled. The committee’s chairman, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), said in his letter (pdf) to Attorney General William Barr that the lawmakers are requesting the information in order to fulfill its oversight responsibility. He is specifically asking the attorney general to turn over documents related to several criminal matters, including the sentencing of Trump associate Roger Stone and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and the department’s probe into the origins of the 2016 counterintelligence investigation on the Trump campaign. He is also asking for information in other matters such as the…

CVS Warns There Could Be a Shortage of Hand Sanitizer

CVS said that there could be a temporary shortage of hand sanitizer due to a spike in demand amid the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

“This demand may cause temporary shortages at some store locations and we re-supply those stores as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson for CVS told CNN on Friday.

Bath & Body Works, owned by L Brands, said the hand sanitizer business has grown about 5 percent in the midst of the COVID-19 virus outbreak.

“The hand sanitizer business is about 5 percent of the total business. It is presently growing at a very high rate for reasons we would all understand,” L Brands chief financial officer Stuart Burgdoerfer told reporters on Friday.

Meanwhile, the maker of Lysol and Dettol, said it will invest more in its supply chain to deal with possible shortages.

“We’re continuing to make capacity investments to ensure that we don’t run out at the peak for some of these products that we have that, frankly, consumers demand and we can’t fulfill,” said Reckitt Benckiser CEO Laxman Narasimhan.

“We are taking up inventory levels [to] be prepared for the potential increase in demand for some of our bleach products,” Clorox chief financial officer Kevin Jacobsen said earlier this month, according to the news network.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other health officials have said that the best way to prevent contracting the new virus is by washing your hands with soap and water.

CVS Warns There Could Be a Shortage of Hand Sanitizer Mask-clad commuters make their way to work during morning rush hour at the Shinagawa train station in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 28, 2020. (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

“Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe,” the agency also recommends on its website. It said that people should wash their hands with soap and water for more than 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom.

“If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty,” the CDC said.

Japan’s Sharp Corp., at the same time, announced it would start making face masks next month, making it the first domestic manufacturer to cross industry borders due to the high demand over the coronavirus outbreak.

Sharp, which makes sensors, camera modules, and screens for Apple Inc.’s iPhones, is set to begin producing masks in mid-March with a daily capacity of 150,000 masks. Sharp, a unit of Taiwan’s Foxconn, expects its masks to hit shelves by the end of March.

Masks are in short supply now as coronavirus infections spread and consumers scramble to guard themselves against the virus.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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Education Department Creates Task Force to Help Parents, Schools Respond to Coronavirus

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Thursday that her department is assembling a task force to respond to the potential impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on American schools. DeVos made the announcement during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on President Donald Trump’s proposed education budget for fiscal year 2021. When asked by Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) if there is any coordination between the Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that would allow parents and schools to obtain the resources and information they need, DeVos responded that a task force has been set up. It was revealed during the hearing that the task force would be led by Mick Zais, the deputy secretary of education. “I’ve convened a task force within the Department…