The two-week isolation period may be a thing of the past for travellers if a new test in the UK is successful.
According to The Sun newspaper, UK ministers are considering a Covid-19 test that takes 20-minutes to produce results, meaning travelers will no longer have to quarantine for 14-days when returning to the country.
The test is being considered by a group of experts, including aviation bosses, scientists and ministers.
The country is also working on ‘travel corridors’ to link the UK to low-risk destinations by air, land and see as the most immediate way to life the two-week quarantine.
This comes as a new internationally-agreed upon set of standards for “safe” coronavirus travel is in the midst of being drawn up by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), whch outlines the conditions for travel corridors between certain countries.
This would include the transmission rates expected of participating countries, the defences each country has in place to combat coronavirus infections and the health measures expected during travel to minimise the risk of catching the disease.
In addition, Iceland also plans to offer coronavirus tests to arriving travellers as a way to avoid the two weeks of mandatory quarantine. According to SchengenVisaInfo.com, the tests will be offered to travellers landing at the Keflavik airport, the country’s international airport.
According to the government, travellers will be given a choice between a 14-days quarantine or being tested for the virus upon arrival, or otherwise proving that they are free of coronavirus infection.
Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation said that when travellers return to Iceland, the country wants to have all mechanisms in place to safeguard them and the progress made in controlling the pandemic.
“Iceland’s strategy of large-scale testing, tracing and isolating has proven effective so far. We want to build on that experience of creating a safe place for those who want a change of scenery after what has been a tough spring for all of us,” said Gylfadóttir.
People who arrive at Iceland’s airport who provide a medical document to prove they are not infected with coronavirus will not need to take the tests.
Last month, Emirates became the first airline to conduct on-site rapid Covid-19 tests for passengers. The airline s tested passengers on a flight to Tunisia before departing from Dubai last month.
In a press statement, the Emirates revealed the quick blood test was conducted by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) and results were available within 10 minutes. This test was conveniently done at the Group Check-in area of Dubai International Airport Terminal 3 before passengers boarded the flight.
