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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
David Conn and Christopher Knaus

Australia rejected millions of face masks provided by PPE Medpro suppliers

Covid testing in Sydney in 2020
Covid testing in Sydney in 2020. Two Cyprus-registered companies were involved in supplying masks for both Australia and the UK. Photograph: James Gourley/AAP

Suppliers of PPE for a company linked to the Conservative peer Michelle Mone were also involved during the Covid pandemic in supplying millions of face masks to the Australian government that were rejected over safety concerns.

Australia’s Department of Health and Aged Care told the Guardian that of 50m face masks supplied to fulfil a government contract awarded to a small online retailer, Australian Business Mobiles (ABM), the overwhelming majority – 45.7m – were deemed unusable for its health service. A department spokesperson said five of seven manufacturers that supplied the masks were “deemed non-compliant with quality regulations”.

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