Belfast International Airport has opened a new Covid-19 rapid testing lab for those undertaking essential travel.
New travel rules are coming into force around the world, with many countries now requiring travellers to present recent negative COVID-19 test results when arriving. These rules may stay in force throughout 2021, posing challenges for those who have to travel for essential purposes.
In order to support local travel, Belfast International Airport has now opened its first walk-in COVID-19 rapid testing centre. Travellers can pay £99 for a swab test to be taken on-site and processed by local testing partner Randox in their nearby lab, at which point the traveller will be issued with a travel certificate.
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Randox has been selling private Covid-19 tests throughout the pandemic and is now an approved tester for the Test and Release programme for international travel. Its PCR test results are normally returned within 24 hours of the sample being received at the lab, so they will need to be done a day in advance of travel.
The benefit of performing testing in the airport is that the location is easily accessible by travellers and close to Randox's lab, and the swab will be taken by trained staff to ensure the results are accurate. The service can also be useful for those arriving who will get the peace of mind of a negative test while self-isolating for the required 10 days.
Source: NewsLetter
