The move came after the World Health Organization warned the international community that “further international exportation of cases may appear in any country” and that “severe coronavirus-related disruptions” would occur as a result.

“It was absolutely certain in early February that we would need this equipment,” Amir Attaran, a professor at University of Ottawa’s school of epidemiology and public health and its faculty of law, told The Globe and Mail. “This decision went beyond altruism into high negligence and incompetence because Canada did not, and does not, have surplus equipment to spare.”

A spokesman for Foreign Affairs explained to the paper that the decision was made “when the spread of COVID-19 was primarily limited to China,” and that Canada had since “welcomed donations from Chinese companies” to boost its own stockpiles.

Local European news outlets reported this week that the majority of rapid coronavirus test kits supplied by China to Spain and the Czech Republic are faulty.