THE unit price of Covid-19 self-test kits should be reduced gradually to RM5, since it will become an essential item, Pakatan Harapan (PH) said.

The PH cost of living committee said the price should be lowered from the current ceiling of RM19.90 to RM15 by the end of this month, then to RM10 by the end of October, and RM5 by the end of November.

The committee said the price reduction should not be delayed to “the end of the year”, as stated recently by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz.

The PH committee said that the ceiling price of self-test kits at RM19.90 per unit is still high and is a burden to the B40 income group.

“In fact, the M40 will also face a similar struggle.

“Every self-test kit can only be used individually and only once. It cannot be reused. Therefore, the value will be worthless instantly.

“Demand is expected to continuously increase and it will be an essential item in our lives in the post-Covid era,” the committee said in a statement. 

Putrajaya plans to move the country into the endemic phase by end-October when 80% of the population is fully vaccinated, and said that self-testing will become part of the new norm of living with the coronavirus. – September 10, 2021.