Kochi: Ernakulam district collector S Suhas informed that strict action will be taken against private laboratories, if they stop functioning or refuse to conduct tests after the rate for RT-PCR tests was reduced.

“Action will be taken if the labs charged fee higher than the rate fixed by the government. We will take action against such labs as per the Disaster Management Act. Nobody will be allowed to bypass the government order and make extra profit,” the collector said.

As the pandemic spread continues in an alarming way in the state, the authorities will ensure that the private labs are functioning properly, the collector added.