On Sunday, Israeli authorities announced that the government was planning for new measures to make the home Covid test kits easily available throughout the country, as it now faces a shortage of home test kits in shops.The shortage occured as a result of a government policy which enabled the fully vaccinated citizens to use the kits without visiting a health facility, to decide whether or not to quarantine themselves, in case of primary contact with infected people.
“We are mindful of the public’s distress,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the weekly cabinet meeting, announcing that every child in kindergarten or elementary school in Israel would be issued with three free kits in the coming days.
The government was also negotiating price reductions with major pharmacy chains, Bennett said, adding that, “In any event, costs will come down in the near future because the market will be flooded with millions of kits that will arrive in Israel.”
The kits cost between 25 and 35 shekels ($8 and $11) in Israeli stores, many of which have reported that they are out of stock. Nachman Ash, the Health Ministry’s director-general, told 103 FM radio that the unit price should be no more than 10 shekels ($3).
Post Your Comments