:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/HIXEZ23R2CW2WYZVYM7UBDDVHM.jpg)
Kerry Group has joined the rush by companies globally to ramp up production of alcohol for hand sanitisers as health systems struggle to deal with the devastating spread of Covid-19.
The Irish food giant is offering enzymes that are produced by a unit in Carrigaline, Co Cork, free of charge to Irish Distilleries to help convert barley into alcohol, according to a company spokesman.
The distillery group, best known for its Jameson and Powers whiskey brands and part of French drinks giant Pernod Ricard, said last Friday that it was going to supply alcohol free of charge to Cork based Mervue Laboratories, which is putting it into gel.
The gel is being packed by Mervue into dispensers and donated to the Health Service Executive (HSE).
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DL2SWPHM2GUV6BYREA4NCXBDVI.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DN5WYCCW77RM7LCGYXQOAJT2WM.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/NM2BCARDNWDJPHUDL5FDFDEQ6U.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/DH46OGVWHJHEYUHCWIA6C4IL4Q.jpg)
Drinks groups from Aheuse-Busch to Diageo and even craft distilleries have heeded the call of duty and social responsibility and started producing alcohol for hand sanitiser in recent weeks, amid a surge in demand as the virus continues to rip through the globe.
The global number of confirmed coronavirus cases his heading rapidly towards 400,000 according to data compiled by John Hopkins University, with the death toll nearing 17,000.
As of Monday evening, the Repubic had recorded 1,125 cases of infection and six deaths.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/06a6721d-7254-49e8-8877-f7a82e655d28.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/VR3765MFOBH2NMV2QNICYDF67M.png)