Heathrow chief calls for common standards on testing

PLANS TO require international travellers to test negative for coronavirus before arriving to England and Scotland will be “a real challenge” for some passengers due to varying testing facilities in other countries, Heathrow’s chief executive has warned.

John Holland- Kaye called on the Government to take the lead in creating a “common international standard for testing” to replace current “confusing” differences between nations.

He said his airport had the capacity to test up to 25,000 people a day – used to help departing passengers meet other countries’ inbound tourism requirements – but other airports around the world lacked such facilities.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast yesterday he said: “So, if you’re caught out in one of those countries, and you now have these new requirements, then you’ll find it quite difficult to get the tests that are needed in order to come back home again.

“And that’s going to be a real challenge for a lot of passengers.”

Mr Holland- Kaye welcomed the new rules to help get the virus under control, but said they should be “temporary” and that Government must set out a “roadmap” for testing international travellers in the future.

His comments came after Transport Secretary Grant Shapps set out new rules which, from next week, will require passengers arriving in England by boat, train or plane – including UK nationals – to take a test up to 72 hours before leaving the country of departure. Failure to comply will lead to an immediate £ 500 fine.

Scotland has announced similar measures, while Mr Shapps said he was “pretty certain” that Wales and Northern Ireland would also introduce the requirement, with it becoming UK- wide at “some point next week”.

Mr Shapps said: “This is an extra check and we’re doing this now because there are these variants that we’re very keen to keep out of the country, like the South African variant, for example.”

Labour MP and Commons Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Normanton and Castleford, said there are still “many gaps” in the UK’s approach.