Travelers have to shake their pockets because of coronavirus tests: prices from private laboratories are called money laundering

The mobile laboratory can also be used by travelers leaving the country, and they are the most visited here. According to the LNK television report, the laboratory is open 24 hours a day with a break of several hours.

“There is a demand from certain countries for testing in a very short time, and we will solve it with this place,” says Dainius Čiuplys, Head of the Department of Operations and Infrastructure of Lithuanian Airports.

During the first hours of work, several hundred travelers registered for the test in the mobile laboratory. There was no positive response from respondents

“Pre-registration is taking place, people are registering on our website or calling. We try to collect as much information as possible: emails so that they indicate and after the test the person traveling, the response, the certificate reaches the email. mail “, said Daiva Kazlauskienė, Director of Rezus.lt.

The test in the mobile laboratory costs 90 euros

Returnees can take a free trial at city checkpoints. At that time, the COVID-19 test costs € 90 for a mobile laboratory near the airport, € 140 for a rapid test and between € 33 and € 43 for rapid antigen tests if a test result is needed in 20 minutes.

Andrejus, who came from Latvia, urgently requested the test in the laboratory, cursing the procedure that required tests.

“I wanted to go to Holland, because of these tests I was not admitted. I had to do a test in Latvia, but I stopped here, it says another certificate is needed, ”said the traveler on LNK television.

For now, tests are mandatory to fly. Travel vaccination passports may appear as vaccination is accelerated. The European Commission promises to publish the rules on the green passport later this month.

Countries that rely heavily on tourism, such as Greece, are calling for this document to be legalized as soon as possible, but most countries, including France and Germany, believe such a move would be premature.

Now flights from Vilnius to Vilnius are organized in 15 directions

“Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Istanbul, there are many directions.” Some people also fly to Tenerife, which are charter flights, but we expect more and more of those flights at the end of March, “said D. Čiuplys.

Trial prices are called usury

More travelers are complaining about the high prices of coronavirus tests in private laboratories in Lithuania.

According to the current procedure, Lithuanians who wish to travel must do the tests on their own, so compatriots who are not satisfied with the mandatory PCR tests, or more precisely with their prices in private clinics, assure that this has done of travel a luxury.

Prices for PCR tests in private laboratories start at € 70. Trial prices have not been reduced and have been subject to a reduced (zero) VAT rate since January.

“In a private clinic in Vilnius I do PCR tests for 75 euros, and when I fly to a distant country and I have to do an urgent test, I pay 125 euros for it. It is true that those who travel abroad must present a negative test result in English, Russian or another language, so you have to pay another 5 euros for the translation of the document. It is like a usury, because the text is not translated specifically for each client, it is simply presented according to the template available in English or another language “. Delphi Orijus Gasanov, who has already paid for more than 30 tests, shared his observations.

Danas Pankevičius, who travels to several foreign countries, was also outraged by the prices. According to him, the idea is spreading that laboratories are trying to profit from the situation.

You can read all traveler reviews about the test procedure in Lithuania and impressions from other countries here.