Chinese middlemen are stockpiling facemasks from Kenya and Tanzania for export to China
In Nairobi’s Kilimani district the upper floor of a typically quiet medical supply shop is hectic with Chinese customers ordering face masks for export. Employees frantically prove the authenticity of facemasks in a three-part “burn, water and layer” test for clients as they film, sending video evidence in WeChat groups for eager buyers back in China. Containing the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus has been a difficult task for Chinese authorities.