Meghalaya govt slashes COVID-19 testing rates

Shillong: The Meghalaya government has slashed the COVID -19 testing rates in the State, health officials said on Wednesday.
Commissioner and Secretary, Health and Family Welfare department, P . Sampath Kumar said the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) rate has been reduced from Rs. 500 to Rs. 250 and the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test rate has been reduced to Rs. 500 from Rs. 1000.
“All those who require to be tested at the entry points as per the (changed) rates,” he said.
In a recent notification, a person entering Meghalaya from any State or Union Territory possessing a valid final certificate of vaccination or a COVID-Negative report shall be exempted from testing at the entry point.
However, a negative “RT-PCR, TruNat, CBAAT report is mandatory” for persons coming from the States of Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab and Karnataka
“Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) negative reports shall not be valid for persons coming from these four States. The COVID negative report will be valid only if they were tested within 72 hours of their arrival at the entry point,” Kumar specified in the notification.
Moreover, “in view of the possibility of the emergence of new strains and the rise in the number of cases in other States,” it’s been made mandatory for all people entering Meghalaya to register themselves prior to their travel.
The registration has to be done on the website http://meghalayaonline.gov.inlcovid/testing.htm and the Arogya Setu App and the Behavioural Change Management App of Meghalaya has to be downloaded from the Google play store.
“Those who do not have a COVID negative report, sample for RT-PCR testing shall be taken at the entry point on payment basis. Such persons shall proceed to their residence or place of stay and shall be quarantined until the test results are declared,” Kumar said.
However, those belonging to Below Poverty Line will be able to get the tests done free of cost. Moreover, individuals identified as “High Risk in containment zones” by the health department would also be tested free.