Passengers wait at the Beirut international airport. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — The Health Ministry on Saturday announced it was lowering the fee of the mandatory PCR COVID-19 test for arriving passengers at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, which starting from Jan. 10 will no longer be included in the price of airline tickets.
Here’s what we know:
• In a statement, the Health Ministry said that the test, which everyone over the age of 12 has to pay for starting on Jan. 10, will now be priced at 30 US dollars instead of 50.
• Starting on Jan. 10, arriving passengers will need to register on the ministry’s platform (https://pass.moph.gov.lb) and either pay for the PCR test via credit card or uploading an Electronic Miscellaneous Document (EMD); an official file from a travel agency or airline demonstrating that the customer paid for the test.
• On Friday, Lebanon registered its highest-tally of COVID-19 cases, 7974, of which 256 arrived via the country’s sole operating civilian airport.