KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian and foreign tourists coming to Sabah will only need to pay RM60 for an RTK Covid-19 test upon arrival, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       He said although the Federal Government had set a RM160 fee on its side, Sabah would only charge RM60 per RTK test conducted at its entry points.

       This is among some of the updated guidelines for visitors to Sabah.

       “This is one way for us to encourage visitors to come to the state, which will help spur economic growth through tourism,” he said after launching the Travel Safe Alliance Malaysia in Sabah event here yesterday.

       Hajiji said the state tourism industry had been hit hard in the past two years due to Covid-19.

       It was reported on Tuesday that the minister overseeing Covid-19 matters in the state, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, said that international travellers were required to undergo the RTK-antigen tests done by healthcare personnel prior to immigration clearance at all the state’s points of entry.

       Personal or pre-purchased RTK saliva test kits are not allowed.

       For transit passengers via Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and klia2 or other entry points in the country, they are allowed to proceed to enter Sabah if the RTK-antigen tests done by trained healthcare personnel at their first point of entry came back negative.Meanwhile, Hajiji said, “Sabah hopes to reach a target of at least four million tourist arrivals in the coming months.”