Tokopedia Will Ban Selling Cheap Antigen Swab Tests

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —

Tokopedia claims to prohibit to display products that sell test kits swab antigen to detect Covid-19 too cheap on their proprietary e-commerce platform.

“Currently, Tokopedia has followed up the report by prohibiting the display of products and/or stores that violate,” explained Tokopedia’s External Communications Senior Lead, Ekhel to CNNIndonesia.com, Tuesday (29/6).

Even though Tokopedia is User Generated Content (UGC), where each seller can upload products independently, they still take cooperative actions to keep activities on the platform in accordance with applicable laws.

“Tokopedia has a policy on what products can be traded in the rules for using the Tokopedia platform,” he said.

This e-commerce also has a Reporting Abuse feature, so that the public can report products that violate Tokopedia’s usage rules or applicable laws in Indonesia.

Previously, there were widespread sales of Covid-19 antigen swab test kits at a very cheap price of IDR 40,000. Sales of the test kits can be found on the Tokopedia and Shopee platforms.

At Tokopedia, there is a seller who sells this test kit for Rp. 850 thousand for one box, containing 25 tools. That is, one tool costs Rp. 34 thousand. One of the sellers at Tokopedia explained that the swab method with the tools he sells can be done independently.

The seller also wrote that the antigen test kit being sold is the production of Hangzhou Clongene Biotech.co Ltd China. It is also stated in the statement that this product has been registered and has a circulation permit number of the Indonesian Ministry of Health AKL 20303028055.

However, when the news was written, a search to the Ministry of Health’s medical device permit site https://regalkes.kemkes.go.id/ could not be carried out because the site could not be accessed. While at Shopee, one of the traders sells for Rp. 41 thousand and has sold 49 pieces.

Although the use of antigen test kits is easy and inexpensive, it cannot be done by just anyone.

Pulmonary specialist, Erlang Samoedro, said that the antigen test should be carried out by trained personnel and wearing personal protective equipment.

According to him, independent swabs without being carried out by health workers can pose a risk of transmission of the corona virus to the threat of death.

(nis/DAL)

[Gambas:Video CNN]

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