Testing of travellers ‘in danger of collapse’

THE system for testing returning holidaymakers could collapse when mass international travel resumes, consumer experts warn.

Ministers are talking optimistically about families being able to enjoy summer breaks overseas, but these will still be covered by a requirement for Covid tests.

Even travellers returning to the UK from safe countries on an official ‘green list’ will need to take tests on their return.

The consumer group Which? said the testing regime was already failing to deal with the relatively small number of people arriving in the UK from overseas, and it could be overwhelmed when large numbers of Britons come back from hotspots.

Social media and review sites have been flooded with complaints about test result delays, with a Facebook group for those suffering problems

‘It’s clear the system could buckle’

with the system amassing 1,500 members. Which? has heard from travellers who did not receive their test results for more than ten days.

Travellers who do not have a negative test result could be required to quarantine until it comes through, meaning they would be unable to return to work. Apart from delays in getting results, travellers face having to pay high fees for the tests. The tests typically cost between £160 and £200 a person, but can be as much as £500.

The editor of Which? Travel, Rory Boland, said: ‘The UK’s travel testing system can’t cope with demand. It’s clear the system could buckle under the pressure when mass international travel restarts and hundreds of thousands more people are reliant on it.’