Chandigarh, September 23: Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh-led state government on Wednesday capped COVID-19 tests rates for private labs. The state administration directed the private laboratories not charge more than Rs 1600 for RT-PCR test for COVID-19, inclusive of taxes.

Adding more, the Amarinder Singh government announced that no private laboratory can charge more than Rs 2,000 for TrueNat Test while fixing Rs 2,400 for Cbnaat test. Reports state that the Punjab government decided to cap the prices of COVID-19 test after calling for strict enforcement of COVID-19 safety protocols in the state amid the rising number of coronavirus case. COVID-19 Vaccine Update: Punjab’s 3 Govt Medical Colleges to Participate in Phase-3 Trial of Covaxin.

Here's the Punjab govt's order:

Earlier on Tuesday, CM Singh issued instructions to strengthen public awareness campaigns across Punjab. However, he was seen concerned with the repeated violation of the rules and protocols around COVID-19 by the people in rural areas. CM Singh stated that the state government has taken few steps to reduce the Case Fatality Rate (CFR). As per details, 2,926 people died in the state till now due to COVID-19.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 23, 2020 06:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).