The cotton swabs for corona tests are quite uncomfortable on the nose.
It gets worse at the thought that they have been used before.
In Indonesia, a suspicion causes a stir.
Jakarta - A company from Indonesia is said to have reused used cotton swabs for corona tests several times - in the test center at the airport in the metropolis of Medan.
Company employees are said to have washed the sticks used for the corona tests, repackaged them and used them again on other test persons.
They worked for the state-owned company "Kimia Farma" at the airport in the capital Medan, reports the
South China Morning Post
.
Five suspects were arrested.
This was confirmed by the local police spokesman Hadi Wahyudi, according to the dpa news agency.
Airport test center: Used swabs for nasal swabs in use for months
The police believe that those arrested have used cotton swabs for nasal swabs several times since December.
The fraud was exposed when a police officer disguised himself as a passenger had himself tested at the airport and noticed the fraud.
A test at the international airport was false positive.
The official was then tested negative for the corona virus, it is said.
In Indonesia, all travelers are required to pass a negative test before boarding a plane.
Whether people have become infected with the virus through the chopsticks and whether there have been false test results is still being investigated.
Indonesia: Disgusting business with the corona test obligation
"We will interview high-ranking employees of the company to get to the bottom of the matter," said Wahyudi.
Suspects could face six years in prison if found guilty of violating health and consumer laws.
They are said to have made almost 2,000 euros a day by making passengers pay for test kits that have already been used.
(dpa)
The corona self-tests in the supermarkets were and are still very popular.
But apparently the tests easily lead to a negative result even without a purchase.