Chennai Airport Introduces Rapid Covid Test to Deliver Results in 30 Mins, Revises RT-PCR Rates

Chennai airport officials have slashed the price of RT-PCR test by Rs 200 amid growing concerns over Coronavirus variant Omicron. According to the revised rate, the test will now cost Rs 700 instead of the earlier rate Rs 900.

“International Passengers travelling (arr/dep) through @aaichnairport can pre-book their #covidtest slots using the link http://tinyurl.com/PATAAI or through QR access. The RT-PCR charges @HllHindlabs will be Rs.700 w.e.f 01.12.2021. @AAI_Official,” the airport said in a tweet.

The reduced prices of RT-PCR tests come amid new rules that have been enforced for international passengers arriving from ‘at risk’ countries. According to the government’s revised guidelines, the travellers from the high-risk countries have to undergo mandatory testing.

Meanwhile, a report in NDTV said that passengers in Chennai airport also have an option to get rapid PCR results in 30 minutes for Rs 3,400. While RT-PCR tests are cheaper and reliable by experts, it takes five to six hours. On the other hand, rapid PCR tests takes just 30 minutes.

The new variant- Omicorn was first detected in South Africa on November 11, and many countries including, the United Kingdom, the US, Germany and Japan have reported cases of the new strain since. The countries that have logged cases of Omicorn variant have been put on the ‘at-risk’ list.

Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel are on this list.

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