Japan’s health ministry has urged drugstores nationwide to restrict the amount of fever medication that one customer can purchase at a time in order to ensure that the drugs will be available to all who need them. The message comes after reports of Chinese people in the country buying in bulk and sending it all back to friends and families back home.

The health ministry sent a note to relevant industry groups on Dec. 26, as part of an effort to maintain a reliable inventory of such drugs.

“To ensure a stable supply of fever medicines and pain reducers and make sure they will be widely available for those who want to buy them, we ask that restrictions be put in place, including limiting the number per customer and repetitive buying, to prevent large-scale purchases and hoarding,” the note said.