BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) – During this COVID-19 pandemic, hand sanitizer has become a sort of liquid gold as UC Berkeley calls it but unfortunately, is found in short supply, especially to those in vulnerable communities.
“We’re operating on the basic principle that in the time of pandemic, hand sanitizer and other tools that we need to keep ourselves safe and healthy should be basic human rights and not commodities,” Abrar Abidi said.
UC Berkeley Department of Molecular and Cell Biology graduate student Abrar Abidi says COVID-19 has shed light on the fact that many who are most vulnerable in our communities don’t have easy access to basic hygiene materials.
The group working in the lab says they can churn out 60 gallons of sanitizer in an afternoon, and have so far produced and distributed 400 gallons to those in need.
While the group is glad to lend a hand to those in need they wish they didn’t have to do this.
“Really it’s the job of the government to take care of this but clearly they’ve failed disastrously in this regard,” Abidi said.
“We realized the reagents to make hand sanitizer are very abundant, very inexpensive and we could take it upon ourselves to kind of compensate for the fact that the government has been neglecting its citizens so we took it upon ourselves to produce it and distribute it,” research assistant Yvonne Hao said.
When the group found out that staff members at the San Francisco County Jail had tested positive for COVID-19, they worked around the clock to package and deliver 900 bottles of sanitizer to the jail.
Enough for each inmate at all five county lockups and over the last three weeks, they have also delivered to frontline healthcare workers, hospices, firefighters, and SF Muni operators.
“It’s been moving to see their reaction, they’ve received it like a godsend almost but it’s something we approach with mixed feelings. It’s great we’re able to supply them with hand sanitizer, but we shouldn’t be the ones doing this,” Abidi said.
“We want this project to serve as a metaphor for how our government is failing to provide what should be a basic human right,” Hao said.
The group hopes their work will inspire others in their same shoes to step up too.
“We’re getting more labs to come and join us, so we can get as much sanitizer to cover as many people as possible,” Abidi said.
Since the labs have been off limits for non essential research a professor had to give them special permission to produce the sanitizer.
They plan to keep up the work as long as the crisis is going on.
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