Local Governments Struggle With Covid Testing Costs - Caixin

Local governments have begun to charge and reduce the frequency of nucleic acid testing amid increasing fiscal pressure, Caixin reported. Guiyang city in Guizhou province said people in industries exposed to infections and people who had traveled to other provinces could be tested for free, but others should be tested at their own expense, Caixin said. The city had offered free testing every three or five days over the past two months, costing over CNY200 million compared to total fiscal revenue of CNY59 billion in the first three quarters, Caixin said. Some counties in Guizhou, Sichuan, and Gansu provinces have also cancelled free testing, the newspaper added.