THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 18, 2020 at 18:32 JST
The Fukiai Police Station in Hyogo Prefecture in Kobe’s Chuo Ward is investigating the case at the Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
KOBE--With face masks at a premium due to fears of the new coronavirus outbreak, a hospital here has discovered that about 6,000 of its valuable commodity have turned up missing.
The Japanese Red Cross Kobe Hospital in Kobe's Chuo Ward reported the theft of the masks, valued at about 40,000 yen ($364), to police on Feb. 17.
According to the hospital, the masks for doctors and nurses were stored in an equipment room on the third floor.
The missing masks were among a lot of 12 cardboard boxes, which each contained 30 boxes. Each box held 50 masks.
When a staff member checked the room on Feb. 13, four of the 12 cardboard boxes were missing.
The room had been kept locked and only a limited number of employees had access. The face masks are stored for emergency use and are typically not used, according to the hospital.
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