Thai workers are caught ironing USED face masks so they can resell them to people trying to avoid coronavirus

Thai workers have been found recycling used face masks and selling them for a profit amid growing coronavirus fears.

Police raided a house in the Saraburi province, north of Bangkok, on Monday after receiving a tip. 

Six workers were discovered putting face masks in a washing machine before ironing them flat and selling them as if they were new, Coconuts reported. 

Thousands of masks were seized and taken to a local health department for further investigation. There is a huge demand for surgical masks as the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe. 

One of the workers told authorities that the used face masks were sourced from an unidentified dealer, according to Colonel Pairot Trisophon from Viharn Daeng Police.

The worker said that a face mask would sell for the price of One Thai Baht ($0.05 AUD) and that the group could turn around 300 to 400 masks in a day. 

Colonel Pairot said that police were seeking the whereabouts of the homeowner, who was identified as a 47-year-old named Jintana Namwichai. 

There are now more than 92,000 cases of coronavirus across the world. Some 3100 people have died and 78 countries have been infected. 

The World Health Organisation has advised people to wash their hands at least five times a day with soap and water or hand sanitiser to protect themselves against the virus.