A total of six million face masks bound for COVID-19 protection in Germany are thought to have gone missing at an airport in Kenya. German officials say they are now tracking the consignments.
Reuters reports that the official word from the Kenyan Airports Authority is that the masks have no been found despite initial investigations.
The German Defence Ministry also says they are working on the issue.
FFP2 masks have become necessities in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic. The masks filter about 90% of particles.
Germany ordered the masks and expected them to arrive by Friday, March 20. The masks were made by a German manufacturer so it is unknown why they were in Kenya.
Reuters quotes a German government official who hopes the masks will be found, adding that the mishap could be “a matter of theft or a provider who isn’t serious.”
Kenyan officials have promised to work with their German counterparts closely on the case.
Both countries have reported coronavirus infections in recent weeks although Germany has more than a thousand times more cases than Kenya.
On Wednesday, Kenya’s Daily Nation reported that coronavirus cases in the country have jumped to 25.
However, the report said a doctor at the Kenyatta National Hospital’s (KNH) Infectious Diseases Unit in Nairobi has revealed it is likely that the earliest cases that tested positive will be released this week after undergoing treatment.
