Ironically, The Unused COVID-19 Medical Boxes Worth IDR 648 Million At The Olympics Is Thrown Away

Illustration (Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Hundreds of boxes full of unused coronavirus-related medical items for the Tokyo Olympics, including gloves, masks, and personal protective equipment (PPE), worth a total of 5 million yen (approximately IDR 648 million), were found after being thrown away.

The organizing committee, quoted by Antara from Kyodo, Wednesday, apologized for the mishandling of the items, which were previously supplied to medical facilities at nine competition arenas.

The items could be moved to healthcare facilities struggling with an alarming number of COVID-19 cases in Tokyo and other parts of Japan.

According to organizing committee officials, the medical supplies were left in part because the Olympics, which ended on August 8, were held without spectators in most arenas.

Organizers said they threw away the medical supplies because they couldn't find a place to store them.

The discarded medical items were recovered Sunday, August 29, in the process of cleaning and closing four arenas in Tokyo and five others in Hokkaido, Fukushima, Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa.

Of the 52.200 PPE purchased, around 3.400 PPE was discarded. The arenas have 5.600 boxes, masks containing 50 masks each, and 5.200 bottles of hand sanitizer. A total of 660 boxes of masks and 380 bottles of antiseptic liquid for hands were discarded.

"We did not previously instruct what each arena should do", said one committee official, admitting it was the organizing body's mishandling.

Meanwhile, according to the committee, unused medical supplies in several other arenas were channeled to health facilities that treat COVID-19 patients.

Organizers added they would prevent a repeat of such mistakes after the Tokyo Paralympics, which close on Sunday.