ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Johor government is looking to increase the screening rate for Covid-19 among the public after buying 180,000 test kits.

       Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the state government has received two types of Covid-19 test kits, which is 130,000 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (RTK-Ag) and 50,000 RTK that uses saliva samples.

       He added that the purchase of Covid-19 test kits would help the state Health Department in carrying out more tests from time to time.

       “The buying of Covid-19 test kits is an initiative from the government under the Johor Ihsan stimulus economic package 3.0, which I announced last month.

       “My hope is that the community will adhere to standard operating procedures, observe physical distancing and be able to perform screening tests on their own in the near future,” he added.

       Hasni said this after handing over the test kits to Johor Health Department director Datuk Dr Aman Rabu at the Mentri Besar Office in Kota Iskandar here on Tuesday (July 13).

       He added that the order was part of the 200,000 test kits that have been announced under the state’s stimulus economic package 3.0 recently.

       “This supply is part of the state government's initiative to further improve and strengthen the management of Covid-19 pandemic in Johor,” he said.