Manama: A teenage boy is believed to have forged a Covid-19 test result to board a flight from Bahrain International Airport.
Detectives are investigating the incident after a diligent airport employee decided to check paperwork with a hospital after spotting a discrepancy and reporting it to his superiors.
The actions of the 13-year-old Tunisian expatriate has horrified medics who said he may have put other passengers and flight crew at risk if he was found to carry the virus.
“It was a stupid, selfish act which could have dire consequences,” a top hospital spokesman told the GDN.
The boy’s flight had already taken off before concerns over his ‘nervous behaviour’ could be verified with medical officials.
It is not known whether the youngster was showing off his computer skills, whether his family wanted to save on the costs of a test or, more worryingly, he had suffered symptoms and didn’t want to miss out on the trip.
Whatever the reason, he and his family could pay a hefty price for his behaviour on his return to Bahrain if found guilty following a thorough investigation.
They could face fines of up to BD5,000 for breaking Covid-19 mandatory measures and should the matter go to Juvenile Court and forgery charges be pursued, the young man could face a spell in detention.
“Teenagers in general tend to do silly things at times, but officials may want to make an example of this young man to discourage others from copying his actions,” a source told the GDN.
“The Health Ministry’s website was checked and it appears the young man in question had undergone a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test back in November.
“The paperwork he submitted to airport officials claims that the test was carried out last Wednesday and from experience it appears to have been forged.
“He could have just wanted to avoid the nasal test, or save paying BD20 again for one, who knows, but the diligent action of airport officials allowed this matter to come to light. Airport counter staff asked for verification and it appeared something was amiss.”
Among the discrepancies were changes spotted on the official-looking paperwork with the allegedly ‘Photoshopped’ version of the report stating ‘target not detected’ instead of ‘negative not infected’ and dates on the document were written out instead of being printed numerically.
The boy’s destination has not been revealed. However, travel and arrival rules have been tightened in several countries, particularly since a more virulent strain of the virus has spread across the world having been identified first in South Africa and England.
Now, only children aged under 11 do not need to take a pre-flight test before setting off to London, for example. Anyone older must have proof of a negative coronavirus test and they must have taken it three days before landing.
If a passenger arrives without a test result, they are committing a criminal offence and could receive a fine of around BD250.
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