Covid positive man manages to board flight disguised as his wife

A Covid-positive Indonesian man who disguised himself as his wife and boarded a flight was caught mid-air by airline staff. The man, who has only been identified by his initials, DW, wore a full-face veil known as a niqab to board, and was carrying his wife's passport and her negative Covid test result.

However, he may never have been caught if he had not changed into his own clothes in the toilet during the flight, causing a stewardess to raise the alarm. Police told reporters that the man was arrested when the plane landed and was tested immediately.

Upon discovering he was positive for the virus, he was ordered to self-isolate at home, and Police say they will start proceedings to prosecute him as soon as his quarantine ends.

The incident comes amid strict restrictions on travel in Indonesia, which has rapidly become the epicentre of the virus in Asia, recording almost 50,000 cases a day.

In recent weeks, hospitals have been overwhelmed by an influx of patients and a lack of resources including oxygen., and almost three million people have been infected and more than 72,000 have died. A slow vaccination rollout and the onset of the highly infectious Delta variant have been cited as reasons for the continuing spread of the virus.