LETTER | Be reasonable with Covid-19 test charges

LETTER | The authorities should look at scrapping the need for Covid-19 tests for arriving passengers at international airports across the country who had done the mandatory test 48 hours before departure.

Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines have either stopped the testing for arriving air passengers or have voiced the need to do so. It should have been a mutual agreement with the three countries to simplify and make it convenient for arriving passengers.

Travellers who have done the pre-departure test should not be compelled to do another test on arrival. Arriving passengers just want to clear immigration, pick up their checked luggage, and head for home.

The back-to-back Covid-19 tests would only discourage foreigners from looking at Malaysia as a holiday destination. The reason is extra expenditure. Malaysian carriers and tour operators would also be on the losing end.

Another issue is the disparity in charges for Malaysians and foreigners.

The cost for a professional RTK-Antigen (nasal) is RM100 for Malaysians and RM160 for foreigners.

For the Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, it is RM250 for Malaysians and RM350 for international arrivals. The rapid RT-PCR is between RM370 and RM470.

I am not a medical professional, but I would like to say that the charges should be standardised for Malaysians and international travellers.

Another disparity is what the arriving passengers have to pay compared to what clinics in the city would charge.

The world has suffered during the past two years. The pandemic literally brought travel to a complete halt. Businesses including airlines and tour operators have suffered huge losses, some even pulling the curtains down. People have suffered financially too.

Please be more reasonable with the charges if back-to-back testing is to be made mandatory.

Please also have more than one service provider at the main terminals of KLIA and klia2 so as not to keep arriving passengers waiting too long. This is not the time to make extra money with exorbitant charges.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.