The FBI isn’t taking any chances if the coronavirus stays on its march around the globe.
The law enforcement bureau has ordered $40,000 in face masks and hand sanitizer just in case the illness should become a pandemic in the United States, CNBC reported.
“The FBI has actively been monitoring the coronavirus outbreak in Asia and is taking preemptive measures by procuring these items … now,” reads an acquisition document obtained by the network.
The supplies, according to the paperwork, are “for the FBI strategic stockpile for Pandemic Preparedness” and will be stored across the country for easy and fast distribution, according to the paperwork.
The Trump administration declared the sickness a public health emergency last month.
The goods are coming from the manufacturers 3M and PDI Healthcare, which have a week to fill the order, the document shows.
So far, US health officials have confirmed 35 confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide but no deaths.
Worldwide, the death toll stands at 2,362 and the number of confirmed cases at 77,935.
The vast majority of deaths and cases have been in China, where the virus originated near the city of Wuhan.