Airport testing

Good luck to MSP Colin Smyth (Scotsman, 16 September) in getting some answers at Holyrood to the question of airport testing which, as Germany has shown, is clearly the solution to aiding the wider economic recovery as well as the aviation and travel industry.

However, with the UK government testing regime in tatters, and Boris Johnson retorting that airport testing is only “seven per cent accurate” (the German airports report 99 per cent accuracy) this looks unlikely.

The issue for Holyrood is one of resource. In the 24 hours to 15 September the NHS in Scotland under took 47,855 tests, 1,297 of which were positive (2.7 p er cent). The UK Government labs tested 62,220, the results of which have yet to come through. Apparently this was caused by a logjam generated by excessive demand as many of the “worried well” rushed to get tests as well as those showing symptoms who badly needed to have their illness confirmed as ‘not-covid’ so that they and their households can return to school and work.

Presumably NHS testing is funded out of NHS Scotland’s budget and is targeted at keeping medical, hospital and care home staff and patients safe. It would appear therefore to be the UK Government’s responsibility to fund non-nhs testing at airports, though the aviation industry should also contribute to the costs of running private labs, as proposed by the CEO of Heathrow airport.

MAIRIANNA CLYDE Merchiston Crescent, Edinburgh