How we could test our way out of travel trouble

How could testing passengers as they arrive in the UK help?

GIVING travellers the ‘all-clear’ from coronavirus as soon as possible would curtail their period of quarantine.

This would allow them to go back to working and spending – both crucial for the survival of Britain’s economy.

Research suggests testing passengers on arrival would catch around 50 per cent of those who are infected. However, some period of quarantine would still be necessary for those testing negative.

This is because many infected people would slip through the first test because it takes on average five to six days to begin displaying symptoms after exposure to the virus.

After seven days of quarantine, a second test would pick up 94 per cent of carriers, according to new scientific modelling by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTR). Those free of the virus could then be exempt from the rest of the quarantine period.

What are scientists’ views on the idea?

SCIENTISTS say testing people arriving in the UK from overseas can provide an essential tool to curb the pandemic.

Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said: ‘This is a welcome illustration of the principle that testing can be used to reduced the need for quarantine. It is possible that a double testing strategy could be almost as effective as 14 days’ quarantine.’

Dr Andrew Freedman, reader in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, said: ‘This modelling study from the LSHTR provides a strong argument in favour of shortening the quarantine period from the current 14 days to eight days, by performing a test on day seven after arrival.

‘This would have a very significant benefit to the individual traveller as well as the travel industry as a whole.’

Professor Jose Vazquez-Boland, chairman of infectious diseases at the University of Edinburgh, said it would help prevent the importation of new infections.

‘These tests are important to halt international transmission and to protect a country from new Covid-19 flare-ups,’ he said. ‘As such they are an essential tool to curb the pandemic.’

Where could the tests take place?

AIRPORTS may be able to provide testing centres on site, allowing travellers to book ahead and take their first test immediately. Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye has said he could have testing sites ready ‘within weeks’. Transport logistics companies Swissport and Collinson said they have already devised a proposal for testing on arrival.

A spokesman said it is ‘safe, prioritises public health, and also enables industries in crisis – including aviation, hospitality, tourism, and all those sectors that rely on international trade – to get back on their feet’. It would allow travellers to book a test – known as a ‘polymerase chain reaction’ or PCR test – which would then be processed within 24 hours – and in most cases within seven hours.

‘Following receipt of a negative PCR test, travellers would be released from quarantine,’ the spokesman said.

How much would they cost?

HEATHROW boss Mr Holland-Kaye has said a UK airport test would cost about £150 each, with passengers expected to pay. It is feasible that the second test could take place at current Government swab centres, which are running with unused capacity – although this would change in the event of a second spike.

At present, NHS tests are free for anyone showing symptoms. It is not clear if this – if the Government were to adopt a test on arrival scheme – would remain the case for people who have returned from overseas and who require a second test to free themselves from quarantine.

What are the other drawbacks of testing on arrival?

CORONAVIRUS testing is still not foolproof. It can give ‘false positives’, for example.

In those circumstances, on arrival testing could force a passenger into a 14-day quarantine unnecessarily.

‘False negatives’ – which fail to detect the virus even though it is present – would also be a risk.

Could we quarantine only those who have visited regions where there is an outbreak?

UK officials say this would be an administrative nightmare.

They would have to keep constant track of the situation in hundreds or thousands of places, and then communicate that information clearly to travellers.

A country-wide quarantine plan is far simpler and, they say, safer.