It comes in the wake of the government announcement last Wednesday which saw the launch of a new Global Travel Taskforce, spanning the Department for Transport (DfT)and Department of Health (DoH), which is tasked with "working with industry on how to safely reduce self-isolation period with testing".

However, many in the travel industry were left asking why a taskforce is needed now when the sector has already made its demands known over recent months, with Abta and many other associations arguing that airport testing is one of the key solutions to successfully restarting the sector. 

The industry has also criticised the length of time the taskforce will take to report its findings (due in November), with many highlighting urgent solutions (such as addressing the huge financial burden on the sector) are needed now, not in a month’s time.

So is a new travel taskforce really an effective solution to help the travel sector at this critical time? Will it provide the answers the industry needs to survive the coronavirus crisis? Is transport secretary Grant Shapps right to suggest airport testing is not necessarily the silver bullet the industry believes it is? And how else might a testing programme work?

All these points and more will be addressed by a panel moderated by TTG editor Sophie Griffiths, with speakers including:

• Gordon Dewar, chief executive, Edinburgh Airport
• Scott Sunderman, managing director, Medical and Security Assistance, Collinson

• Paul Charles, chief executive, PC Agency and former spokesman for Quash Quarantine campaign

The debate is available to TTG+ members. If you’re already a TTG+ member, register here to attend. If you’re not a member join TTG+ for £1 and access a host of new benefits, including the TTG Suppliers Directory Live.

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