Alcohol distillers in Uganda have turned to making hand sanitizers as the east African country steps up efforts to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

Evelyn Anite, minister of state in-charge of investment, said on Monday that the manufacturers, in a meeting with her, agreed to address the shortage of hand sanitizers in the country.

The manufacturers will use the 7.3 million liters of alcohol in their facilities to make available, affordable and quality sanitizers, Anite said.

At the meeting, regulatory authorities agreed to fast track the registration of quality hand sanitizers and promised to strengthen surveillance across the country to keep fake sanitizers off the market.

The government would support the manufacturers through value-added tax and excise duty waivers to help them maximize production, Anite said.

Uganda has instituted a series of measures to control the spread of the disease after the country recorded its first confirmed case over the weekend.