Sales of hand sanitiser in Britain have more than tripled as nervous customers sought to protect themselves from coronavirus, data showed Tuesday. Hand sanitiser sales surged 255 percent in the four weeks to 23 February compared with the same period a year earlier, retail research company Kantar said in a statement.

Liquid soap sales increased seven percent and household cleaning products leapt ten percent over the same period, Kantar added. "Given the media focus around the outbreak of Covid-19 in February, it's unsurprising to see shoppers prudently protecting themselves from illness," said Fraser McKevitt, Kantar's head of retail and consumer insight. Britain has 39 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday warned that the number was "highly likely" to rise. Worldwide, more than 3,100 people have died and over 90,000 have been infected.