THE Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs will give traders a week from today to comply with the maximum price of RM19.90 for the Covid-19 antigen rapid test (self-test) kit.

Its minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the enforcement team would be monitoring but would not issue compounds and instead give traders reminders to adhere with the maximum selling price effective today.

“(The ministry) will give traders one week to adjust to the test kit price.

“This means we also care about traders but test kit sales must comply with the stipulated maximum price from today,” he said after conducting an inspection on the price of test kits at a pharmacy in Kuching today.

Apart from that, Nanta said the ministry also carried out inspections on wholesalers to ensure the maximum wholesale price of RM16 is complied with.

The failure of retailers and wholesalers to adhere to the maximum price would see them facing action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

Individuals could be fined up to RM100,000 or jailed no more than three years or both, or face compounds of up to RM50,000, while companies could be fined up to RM500,000 or compounded up to RM250,000.

Meanwhile, Nanta said the ministry is awaiting the advice of the Health Minister as well as holding discussion with industry representatives for the implementation of antigen rapid test (RTK-Ag) and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests in clinics. – Bernama, September 5, 2021.