In an online auction, about 64.4 million surgical facemasks and 3.7 million plastic aprons purchased by British residents for 31.8 million USD (£26 million) are currently being sold for as cheap as $612 (£500).
Apparently ordered at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Covid-related personal protective equipment (PPE) was declared surplus to requirements and never ever left China.
But these PPE kits that were just recently auctioned off are just the beginning. According to DailyMail, the Department of Health and Social Care has acknowledged that PPE that was unusable, out-of-date, or overpriced resulted in losses of ($10.1 billion) £8.7 billion.
As per National Audit Office estimates the facemasks would have cost taxpayers about 40p each at the time of the epidemic, bringing the price of those auctioned to £25.8 million.
Each apron cost 5p, therefore the total cost was approximately $20,000 (£180,000).
Although their sale price is unknown, according to DailyMail, the objects were sold in two lots for about $306 (£250) at the auction held by UK-based disposal company Ramco.
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