Finland: "Chinese Masks Unsuitable for COVID-19 Medical Staff Use"

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a tree planting event held on the 3rd in Daxing District, Beijing, wearing a mask and waving his hand. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Jiwon] The Finnish government announced that 2 million protective masks purchased from China are not suitable for medical staff treating patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to AFP on the 9th (local time), the Finnish health authorities stated that 2 million surgical masks and 230,000 masks purchased from China arrived at Helsinki Airport on the 7th, and that they will undergo verification and inspection before use.

However, on the 8th, Finnish authorities explained that the masks did not meet the necessary standards for use in hospitals to prevent COVID-19 infection. They mentioned that while nurses can use them when visiting residential facilities or homes, they are not suitable for medical use.

A Finnish official emphasized that other European countries also experienced similar issues after ordering COVID-19 related equipment from China. They expressed dissatisfaction, saying that the price of Chinese masks is always rising, purchases must be made quickly, and payments must be made in advance.

In fact, Spain, the Netherlands, and Turkey have recently returned masks purchased from China.

According to the real-time international statistics site Worldometer, as of this date, Finland has 2,605 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 40 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.