Photo/Illutration A building of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

For those unable to get their hands on hand sanitizer, a healthy splash of booze will do.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that drinks with high alcohol content or ethanol for industrial use can be a substitute for alcohol-based sanitizers to prevent the new coronavirus infections.

Japan's dire shortage of hand sanitizer due to panic buying prompted the ministry on April 10 to issue a statement formally approving the use of alcoholic beverages as a substitute.

Though the ministry never advised against using liquor as a sanitizer, it still recommends people wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water instead if possible.

“Washing hands is more effective. Liquor should be used only for those who can’t wash their hands by themselves because they are bedridden and for other unavoidable cases,” the ministry advised.

Alcoholic beverages with an ethanol content between 70 and 83 percent that do not contain harmful methanol are best suited as a substitute for hand sanitizers, the ministry said. 

Drinks with higher ethanol content are less effective, so they need to be diluted by adding purified water or other liquids.

Domestic manufacturers have boosted production of both pharmaceutical and quasi-pharmaceutical alcohol-based sanitizers amid the pandemic, but the products remain in short supply.

Some brewery companies have already begun selling drinks with high alcohol content as a substitute for hand sanitizers.

The ministry is also preparing to purchase ethanol using reserve funds from the budget for this fiscal year and distribute it to all 47 prefectures. The ministry is now soliciting requests from the prefectures regarding how much ethanol they need.

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