The government of the south Indian state of Kerala has made the on-arrival COVID-19 RT-PCR test free for those coming from abroad. Kerala Health minister K.K. Shailaja made the announcement in Kerala and said all international passengers will continue to be tested on arrival as per the latest travel protocol announced by India’s federal government.
The new requirement of mandatory COVID-19 RT-PCR test came into effect on February 23, following which, several expats had sought exemption from the test fee, which is charged at different rates at different airports in India.
In Kerala, the cost of the test was capped at Rs 1,700 ($23 USD).
Though the test has been made free of cost, the minister has clarified that all international passengers will still have to be tested due to the high number of cases and the spread of new variants of coronavirus.
