Airport coronavirus testing may finally get clearance for take-off in days

Ministers may finally announce airport testing this week as they sought to explain the delay in implementing the policy as an attempt to find the best possible system. Stephen Barclay, chief

secretary to the Treasury, said on Saturday that a decision on airport swabbing would be taken in the “coming days”. He pointed to the airport testing regime in Germany, where passengers

arriving from high-risk countries could be rapidly tested and allowed to leave quarantine earlier. The government has faced criticism from the aviation industry and senior Tory backbenchers

over the quarantine policy, which they say is seriously damaging the economy by affecting travel and tourism. In the UK all passengers arriving from high-risk countries must self-isolate for

14 days. The list of safe countries to which there are quarantine-free “air bridges” is constantly changing, which has intensified pressure on the government to introduce an airport testing

system. A spokeswoman for the Department for Transport said yesterday: “Work is ongoing with clinicians and health experts on the practicalities of using testing to reduce the

self-isolation period for international arrivals. Advertisement “The government recognises the impact that coronavirus is having on the economy and workers, and has put together an extensive

package of financial support to help the aviation sector.” Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Mr Barclay said testing in airports was a “key priority in the sector at the

moment”. “I am expecting Grant Shapps and Matt Hancock to say more about this in the coming days,” he said. “From a Treasury point of view, the sort of things you would expect us to be

looking at is what testing can we have at airports, and how does that interact with the quarantine rules? What is best in class internationally? So, if we look, for example, at some of the

German states, which are using testing to then release earlier from some of the restrictions.” Writing in Red Box, David Davis, the former cabinet minister, warned: “The quarantine rules are

choking off our economic recovery, do little to prevent the spread of the disease, and they are practically unenforceable, whatever level of fine Whitehall sets.” Germany and France

introduced airport testing in August. At least 30 countries have a system of this kind. Heathrow airport would welcome the introduction of swabbing and has been investing in testing

infrastructure in anticipation of a change in policy. Advertisement The UK government typically imposes quarantine on arrivals from countries recording at least 20 coronavirus cases per

100,000 people over a seven-day period. Workers such as hauliers are exempt from the rule. All arrivals must fill out a passenger location form and checks can be made on compliance. Thanks

to restrictions having been recently introduced for Turkey and several Greek islands, British travellers have few options for a foreign holiday over half-term. Italy, mainland Greece, the

Azores, Madeira and Germany are among the few safe destinations left. Thirty-nine countries, territories or islands previously deemed safe for UK holidaymakers have been removed from the

safe travel list. The aviation industry has warned that the lack of airport testing risks doing “irreparable damage” to the sector. “If we don’t act fast with testing, we will make it more

difficult for British businesses to continue as world class global players, just at the time where we need to forge stronger international relationships as the UK leaves the EU,” industry

groups said in a letter to Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, last week. The World Travel and Tourism Council, an industry body, predicted in late August that the UK could lose up to £22

billion in tourism revenues because of the restrictions, putting three million jobs at risk. The £1,000 fine for breaching the 14-day quarantine was put up to £10,000 last month, in line

with harsher penalties for breaking lockdown rules. Advertisement THE GERMAN WAY Anyone coming into Germany who has recently visited a coronavirus “risk area” such as Scotland or northern

England is obliged to either supply proof of a recent negative test result or to take a test upon arrival. These are generally available free of charge at airport test centres. Travellers

must then isolate themselves at a specified address until the sample has been processed. The results are usually released through an app within 48 hours but can take a little longer in some

cities, such as Stuttgart and Düsseldorf. At Frankfurt, the country’s busiest airport, passengers can also pay €139 for a private test and receive the results within three hours. In most

parts of the country a single negative result is enough to get you out of quarantine but a few regions, such as Baden-Württemberg in the southwest, require two separate negative results at

least five days apart. The free tests used to be available to travellers entering Germany from anywhere but demand overwhelmed the system. Since September 15 they have been restricted to

people who have spent time in risk zones, a list of which can be found on the website of the Robert Koch Institute, the German government’s infectious diseases agency. Advertisement At

present Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Gibraltar, Yorkshire and the Humber and the northeast and northwest regions of England are on the list.