PCR Prices Used To Be Expensive Now Drop To Rp275 Thousand Being Highlighted, COVID-19 Task Force: Dynamic PCR Policy

ILLUSTRATION/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Prof. Wiku Adisasmito, stated that the government's policies in dealing with COVID-19, including polymerase chain reaction/PCR, are dynamic.

This statement was made by Wiku in response to a petition against polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for air travelers made by an aircraft technician, Dewangga Pradityo.

"In this pandemic period that we are currently experiencing, the policies issued are always dynamic, adapted to the dynamics of the case, the readiness of supporting laboratories, and the readiness of transportation service operators," Wiku wrote on the Change.org platform, quoted by Antara, Thursday, October 28.

According to Wiku, dynamic policies include PCR testing as a mandatory travel requirement, which is currently being monitored by the government.

Wiku is also grateful for the aspirations expressed by the community through the Change.org online petition.

The mandatory PCR test for air travel still invites comments from various people. Two online petitions emerged to urge the government to reverse the policy.

Both petitions were signed by nearly 48,000 netizens. The first petition was made by Dewangga Pradityo, an aircraft engineer and Herlia Adisasmita, a Balinese.

Currently, Dewangga and Herlia request that the policy to require PCR as a condition of travel to be replaced. They consider that the policy is burdensome to the community and does not meet their needs.

According to Dewangga, air circulation in airplanes is better than other modes of transportation.

The latest development is that the government has reduced the PCR test rate to Rp275 thousand for the Java-Bali area and a maximum of Rp300 thousand outside Java-Bali with a maximum result of 1x24 hours.

Although it has been lowered, this price is still considered too expensive by both petitioners. "If possible, it is equivalent to the price of an antigen test," said Dewangga.