Massachusetts police are on the lookout for a woman who they say sprayed Lysol disinfectant into a Walmart employee's eyes and then paid for her purchases before casually hopping into an Uber car. The suspect became angry after a cashier told her that due to the coronavirus outbreak, there was a limit on the number of Lysol disinfectant cans she could buy, Leicester police said in a statement on Facebook.
The unidentified woman allegedly grabbed one of the cans, sprayed disinfectant in the cashier's eyes, and then left the scene. EMS was called to the scene to treat the worker.
The incident took place on March 27 and police are hoping to locate the suspect by sharing a photo of her to social media.
Last month, the demand for hand sanitizer skyrocketed as the coronavirus epidemic hit the U.S. Shoppers were rushing to shops to stock up, only to find bare shelves.
Companies like Clorox and Purell maker Gojo Industries were forced to increase production to try to meet public demand.
"We are seeing increased demand for our hygiene products, including hand sanitizer, hand soap, hand sanitizing wipes, and surface disinfection spray," a spokesperson said in an email.
Rakesh Tammabattula, CEO of a California-based company that owns brands such as Dr. J's Natural and Glowyy.com Hand Sanitizer, explained on Wednesday to VOA that the high demand had caused shortages in raw materials used to make hand sanitizers and disinfectants.
"The current explosion in demand for hand sanitizers was never expected by anyone in the industry, and for that reason, none of the players in the market were prepared for this demand," he said.
"Hand sanitizers were always an accessory product to hand wash soaps and liquids, and there was never any emphasis on the importance of using them for personal hygiene and disinfection as much as it was seen over the last month and a half."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.