Workers Allegedly Washed, Reused Cotton Swabs For Indonesia Airport Passengers COVID-19 Tests
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They allegedly repacked used swabs at the main office and sent them to the airport
Thousands of recycled cotton swabs may have been used on passengers for months
The alleged scam happened amid fears of a resurgence in COVID-19 cases
Several workers of a pharmaceutical company in Indonesia have been arrested for allegedly reusing cotton swabs on airport passengers who were getting tested for COVID-19.
Passengers in Indonesia are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result before boarding a flight, and many of them prefer to have the test in the airport to save some time. However, authorities found that several employees of Kimia Farma, which was offering the rapid tests at Kualanamu airport in Medan, North Sumatra, were allegedly washing, repacking and reselling used cotton swabs, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Indonesia busts Covid scam after 9,000 air passengers were tested with REUSED nasal swab sticks which were washed and then repackaged
Several employees of a state-owned pharmaceutical company have been arrested over the scheme, which police say began in December
Thousands of passengers at the Kualanamu International Airport were tested with reused nasal tests, sometimes receiving false positive results
The workers are accused of pocketing the money for each reused test, potentially amassing as much as £89,674
Police are now investigating whether anyone contracted Covid-19 as a result of the reused tests