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Customs seizes unauthorised test kits

STOCK IMAGE. Pic: frolicsomepl/Pixabay

Unauthorised Covid-19 testing kits are being detained at the border, following a ‘strict’ clamp down on all kits not purchased by the Gibraltar Health Authority.
The Minister for Civil Contingencies, Samantha Sacramento, confirmed some kits had been seized by Customs at the frontier since the ban was introduced last month.
She did not say how many.
The Gibraltar Government banned the importation of testing kits unless approved by the Director of Public Health, Dr Sohail Bhatti, due to “unreliable” kits being sold online.
“There a wide range of tests available, but it does not necessarily mean that these tests are approved or reliable,” Ms Sacramento said.
“The reason for introducing this legislation a few weeks ago was to make sure that the tests that are used, the GHA is absolutely satisfied are the right ones.”
“We just cannot afford for people in the community, beyond the GHA, to be lulled into a false sense of security by using tests that are not approved by professionals.”