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Heathrow weighs up Covid testing options
Heathrow is evaluating three Covid-19 testing processes after trials at the airport.
Findings are being shared with the government and “could be used to support recovery across sectors”.
They are in addition to the airport’s paid-for inbound testing facility, which is awaiting government clearance.
“The findings from the trials are being evaluated and will be shared with government as ministers consider how testing could provide a safe alternative to blanket quarantine in certain circumstances,” the airport said.
“The long-term aim of the trial is to understand whether these tests could be quickly and efficiently conducted on large numbers of people outside of a laboratory setting and to ensure they are accurate enough to be delivered in an airport environment.”
The three systems being trialed include a nasal or throat swab test, which provides results in 30 minutes, a saliva test, which gives a visual result in 10 minutes and a self-administered test that works within 30 seconds.
All must be proven to work in a non-clinical environment before approval.
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “If we can find a test that is accurate, gets a result within a matter of minutes, is cost-effective and gets the government green light, we could have the potential to introduce wide-scale testing at the airport.”
Gary Noakes
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