New Delhi, May 7 (IANS): As the country reels under the coronavirus crisis, the government has prohibited the export of alcohol-based hand sanitisers.

In a notification, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said: "Alcohol based hand sanitisers are prohibited from exports."

The move by the government is meant to boost availability of hand sanitisers in the domestic market amid the outbreak of the infectious Covid-19 disease.

Sanitisers are an essential component in the fight against the deadly infection and are used as a disinfectant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Sanitisers have come up as a frontline defence against the infection of coronavirus.

The availability of the product slumped in March when the covid=19 cases started to soar in the country and retailers reportedly went out of stock.

In the wake of the crisis and surging demand, along with ramped up production by incumbent players, several new home grown sanitiser makers have come up and alcohol companies have also taken to manufacturing of hand sanitisers.