Advertisement

‘Human hand sanitizer’ photo sparks apology from Saudi oil giant

Click to play video: 'How effective are homemade sanitizers?'
How effective are homemade sanitizers?
As concerns over the novel coronavirus rise, many stores are reporting a declining stocks of hand sanitizers. As a precautionary effort, some people have attempted to make their own hand sanitizers from online recipes. But do homemade sanitizers actually work? – Mar 2, 2020

A Saudi oil company wants to wash its hands clean of controversy after photos of a “human hand sanitizer dispenser” were widely circulated on social media recently, amid broader concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The two photos, shared on social media on March 10, as verified by Storyful, show an alleged foreign worker of Aramco wearing a blue face mask and a white box around his body with a hand sanitizer dispenser in the middle.

The board reads “hand sanitizer,” and in one image a man can be seen taking some of the product onto his hand. The back of the board displays the proper hand-sanitizing technique.

It’s implied that the employee was made to walk around the premises, providing sanitizer to others in need.

Story continues below advertisement
Click to play video: 'How effective are hand sanitizers against coronavirus?'
How effective are hand sanitizers against coronavirus?

Aramco released a formal apology on Tuesday, expressing its “dissatisfaction” over “this abusive behaviour.” The company said it never approved it.

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The company said that it would have “immediately stopped this act” and that it has taken “drastic measures to prevent it from happening again.”

https://twitter.com/HishamFageeh/status/1237406453175996417?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1237406453175996417&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnewswire.storyful.com%2Fstorylines%2F*%2Fstories%2F232721

Aramco issued the statement amid backlash over the photos on social media.

Saudi Arabian actor and producer Hisham Fageeh tweeted the photos and called them “a gift from Aramco,” adding that they demonstrate the “social class discrimination of the Gulf.”

Click to play video: 'COVID-19: Hand sanitizers, disinfectant in high demand'
COVID-19: Hand sanitizers, disinfectant in high demand

It’s unknown exactly when the original photos were taken, but they’ve emerged at a time when hand sanitizer use is on the rise due to global fears about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Story continues below advertisement

An illustration of the photo was created by Kuwaiti cartoonist Abdelrahman Boland and depicts the worker with a tear running down his face in this version.

A Twitter user said the incident was at the company’s headquarters in Dhahran. The tiles in the viral photos match those in older images of Aramco’s offices.

meaghan.wray@globalnews.ca

Click to play video: 'Stockpiling goods not necessary amid coronavirus worries: Alberta health officials'
Stockpiling goods not necessary amid coronavirus worries: Alberta health officials

Sponsored content

AdChoices