Now, Covid testing available at 5 facilities in Punjab

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 22

With three more private laboratories allowed to test samples of suspected Covid patients, the number of testing facilities for Covid has reached five in the state.

Earlier the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had designated two laboratories in Government Medical College, Patiala, and Government Medical College, Amritsar, as national labs for Covid.

To contain the spread of virus, it has been decided that all notified national labs for Covid testing shall remain open throughout the week. The test is free of cost.

As per a list issued by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, there are just three laboratories in the private sector which qualifies the criteria laid down by ICMR to conduct Covid tests.

The private laboratories are located one each in Fortis Hospital in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Mohali.

As per ICMR guidelines, the private laboratories can’t charge more than Rs4,500 for the test. This includes Rs1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs3,000 for confirmation test.

113 Indians stranded at Amsterdam airport

Requesting fellow countrymen to maintain social distancing and follow guidelines in the wake of Covid outbreak, Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs and NRI Affairs Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi on Sunday expressed solidarity with 113 Indians, who have been stranded at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport.

Expressing gratitude to the Union Government and PM Narendra Modi for taking prompt decision in bringing back the Indian nationals, Sodhi said CM Capt Amarinder Singh and he took up the matter with the Union Government and met various ministers in this regard, including Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri.

He said the Union Government not only acknowledged their efforts in this regard, but also promised them to bring back the stranded Indians.

Indians stranded at Amsterdam’s airport had urged the government to rescue them. They alleged that the authorities did not allow their flight to land when it was just two hours away from the New Delhi Airport, and reportedly took a U-turn.

Cost of the test

• Rs 4,500
• Price cap imposed on private laboratories for Coivd test
• This includes Rs1,500 as a screening test for suspect cases and an additional Rs 3,000 for confirmation test.