SELFISH COP26 delegates are using Covid tests outside the venue then dumping the germ-riddled kits on the street, we can reveal.
A stream of people heading into the climate change summit were seen swabbing their noses for signs of the deadly virus then tossing the snot-covered materials behind them.
We discovered dozens of used lateral flow tests strewn in the street outside the test centre, where delegates must return a negative result to get access to the venue each day.
Our photos and videos show a string of officials standing yards from the main entrance carrying out the procedure while surrounded by scores of police officers, delegates, security staff and climate campaigners.
At one point today, even US climate envoy John Kerry walked past the spot where test kits were being carelessly dropped.
Masked-up Mr Kerry – hand-picked by US President Joe Biden to lead America’s negotiations – seemed oblivious to the Covid-test clutter as he stopped for a brief chat with eco protesters.
But just feet away used test tubes and swabs were found among rubbish, including coffee cups and food wrappers left on locals residents’ balconies.
A local said: “These are the people we’re relying on to save the planet and they can’t even dispose of their Covid tests properly. It’s disgusting and shameful and could be a health hazard.”
The test centre is housed in the Nuffield Health and Wellbeing gym on Finnieston Street – just a short walk away from the main entrance at the Squinty Bridge junction.
Delegates must show a negative test before they can gain access to the campus.
Some take the test on site but others are given lateral flow tests to take away and administer themselves elsewhere.
But rather than returning to the privacy of their hotel we watched many pitch up a short walk away from the centre
Signs on the windows warn people not to do the test directly outside the building.
One duo, who were preparing to shove the swabs up their noses, were moved on by a security guard who was heard telling them police had issued an order not to test at that location.
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But we looked on as they simply walked down to the riverside where they performed the test in full view of dozens of passers-by, including cops.
Some even used ledges outside people’s homes as a makeshift table before leaving their kit behind for someone else to deal with.
One man was spotted tossing the wrapper of his swab on the deck before an appalled passer-by asked him to pick up.
Others took shelter in the entrance of a private car park before self-administering the NHS test.
Some cleared up before leaving but others simply stuffed the boxes and test tubes behind a wall before heading into the summit.
Our snapper also spotted delegates testing themselves near the bus stop on Lancefield Quay, where thousands of visitors arrive each morning to begin climate talks.
- Keep up with the latest COP26 news and exclusives here on our live blog
The number of people testing the street seemed to ramp up after 5pm, when the test centre closes.
We saw security staff in high-viz coats passing out boxes of test kits to visitors arriving for evening talks at the United Nations venue which is hosting people from all around the world.
Virus expert Professor Hugh Pennington said: “This is not a good idea at all.
“It would be far better if they did them in a room somewhere and then got rid of them like they would with human waste almost.
“No doubt the instructions say how they should be disposed of which they should follow – but not dump them in the street, no.
“Of course, just the notion of them dumping in the street is a bad idea but some of them might be positive.
“They are sticking them up their noses so it is a health hazard, definitely. It’s not a bad health hazard but it’s a health hazard we could do without.
‘HEALTH HAZARD’
“Energy will be required to pick this stuff up and get rid of it. It’s self contradictory really. They are not looking after the environment yet they are jumping up and down saying, ‘look after the environment’.”
Scottish Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Sandesh Gulhane MSP said: “It’s important that everyone takes care to safely dispose of lateral flow tests properly after using them – including COP26 delegates.
“As well as creating an unsightly mess on streets, there are also public health implications of swabs and test tubes being discarded.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “Everybody knows that littering is unacceptable – wherever it happens and whatever is being discarded. There is no excuse not to wait to use a bin.”
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