Report to be sent to DPP over private labs’ covid19 testing

The Ministry of Health’s legal department is compiling a file of private labs offering covid19 testing to be sent to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said this is because he has seen advertisements from private labs offering this service, but he is not aware that any private labs have yet been certified to do covid19 testing.

He reminded the public and the lab owners that even when private labs are certified, there will be a $50,000 fine and six month’s imprisonment for the lab owner/operator and the person being tested if the results of the test are not forwarded to the CMO and the RHA responsible for the area where the person resides or works.

Deyalsingh said even though private labs had not yet been certified, this penalty was included in the regulations so that owners and operators of the labs would not be surprised when certification does take place. These regulations were introduced on April 6 under the Public Health [2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)] (No. 8) Regulations, 2020.