A COVID-positive man in Indonesia recently decided he could not wait to travel until he was free of the virus. Therefore, he took his wife’s ID and her negative test certificate, dressed up in her niqab, and boarded a plane. He may have gotten away with it had he not decided to change into his own clothes halfway through the flight.
There have been plenty of reports of fake COVID test certificates. Or a group of Belgian youngsters getting on a plane home from their holiday while suspecting they could very well have been infected. However, instances of people knowing they are COVID positive and still doing their utmost to travel have fortunately been few and far between – as far as we know.
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A whole new passenger on board
Meanwhile, a man in Indonesia went to great lengths to be allowed on board a domestic Citilink flight from Jakarta to Ternate. The man, who is referred to by officials only by his initials ‘DW”, dressed in his wife’s niqab, covering him from head to toe. He also grabbed her passport, negative COVID-19 test certificate, and took off for the airport.
Boarding agents at Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport in Jakarta suspected nothing. The man’s ruse might have remained successful had he not thought it a good idea to change back to his own clothes mid-flight. A cabin crew member saw a fully-covered and veiled person enter the lavatory, only to emerge minutes later wearing entirely different clothing.
Isolated and could be facing arrest
The crew member notified the authorities at the arrival destination of Ternate, and the passenger was detained after deboarding. An on-duty health officer immediately tested…