NEW YORK - As the spread of novel coronavirus causes global alarm, officials in The Empire State have been hard at work, proving that they're not taking the situation lying down. 

Ever ready to fight back against the outbreak, New York's leaders have gone so far as to create their very own hand sanitizer. 

Their decision to create, bottle, and sell the product comes as a wave of ever-increasing panic sweeps the nation, leading shoppers to purchase massive amounts of hand sanitizer, causing a national shortage.

But on Monday New York City's Governor, Andrew Cuomo, assured New Yorkers that their local government has them covered, announcing that NYS Clean, a hand sanitizer created by the state of New York will soon be available.

.@NYGovCuomo says NY state now has its own hand sanitizer to compete against price gouging retailers. It has a higher alcohol content than Purell and a “floral bouquet,” Cuomo says. #abc7NY pic.twitter.com/G6SyZbmic7

— Derick Waller (@wallerABC7) March 9, 2020

He described the cleansing agent as a "superior product to products now on the market," citing its higher alcohol content in comparison with that of sanitizers such as Purell.

Cuomo added, "It has a very nice floral bouquet," referring to NYS Clean's scent, which is a mix of lilacs, hydrangea, and tulips.

The sanitizer is being developed by Corcraft, a "brand" that is produced by the NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. It uses inmates at correctional facilities throughout New York for low-cost labor.

By law, Corcroft is only allowed to sell its products to government agencies at the state and local levels, schools and universities, courts, fire departments, police departments and some not-for-profit organizations. 

Cuomo did not announce a timetable for a wider release of the sanitizer, though he did threaten Amazon and eBay that he would "introduce" the product if the companies continued to permit price gouging on their online platforms.

"To Purell and Mr. Amazon and Mr. eBay, if you continue the price gouging, we will introduce our product, which is superior to your product, and you don't even have the floral bouquet," Cuomo said. "So stop price gouging."