Airlines call for antigen tests to be accepted for travel: Cheaper and faster than PCRs

AIRLINES and the European Commission are urging member States and third countries to accept antigen tests instead of PCRs for international arrivals, in a bid to save the tourist season over Christmas and allow families and friends to reunite.

Regional tourism authorities in the Canary and Balearic Islands – where the Covid-19 incidence is relatively low but the loss of holidaymakers is financially crippling at any time – have criticised the national government for its decision to request negative PCR tests for all air or sea passengers entering Spanish soil, even citizens of Spain.

Even though this requirement is a far more convenient alternative to an enforced 14-day quarantine – which may not be effective anyway, as a 'positive' person could still be asymptomatic after this time – it presupposes that a PCR is easy and affordable to obtain, that results will definitely come through in time, and that the personal data in the results communication are acceptable to international authorities.

Spaniards in Britain call for solutions for their family Christmas

Spaniards living in the UK have also complained, since the requirement may stop their returning to the family nest for Christmas – even more so than the obligation to quarantine for a fortnight when they get home to Britain afterwards.

As tests have to be taken within no more than 72 hours of the departing flight or ship, a traveller could be stranded if the results do not arrive in time – usually, they are sent to the person tested within just over 24 hours, but this is not guaranteed – and have to go through the process again.

Also, costs of tests vary by country: In Spain, a PCR at a private clinic costs around €95 to €150, and in the UK, they are given via high-street chemists' but cost around £250 (about €300).

One Spanish woman in Manchester who had a test via the UK's National Health Service said the results only show full name, date of birth and address, meaning they may not be accepted at a Spanish airport as they do not show her national ID number from her native country, or her passport number.

Tests are only free on State healthcare systems in both countries where a person either has symptoms consistent with Covid-19, or is known to have been in close contact with a 'positive'.

Antigen tests: Solution for those who need to 'prove they are negative'

Antigen tests are less used at present – they are thought to be suitable for mass testing in the event of an outbreak with a high number of contacts, and for those who just need to prove they are 'negative', but have not, so far, been recommended for anyone with symptoms, as they do not provide enough data to allow a person to be treated accurately.

For holiday travel and visiting family and friends abroad, though, they should be accepted, says the Spanish Airlines Association (ALA), hotel bosses and regional tourism ministries nationwide, and the country's pilots' union, SEPLA.

It would help restore freedom of movement within the EU if these were accepted, especially if testing standards were set across the board internationally, plus they are quicker, with results in 10 to 15 minutes.

More importantly for tourists, and for travellers at this time of year, they are cheaper: They can start at €4.50, but rarely exceed €45 to €60.

Travellers, and those whose livelihood depends upon people being able to cross borders, are urging Spain's government to come up with a solution before Christmas.

Spain is not the only country currently requiring a negative PCR upon entry, but a European Union-wide procedure would mean other member States could be accessible for Spanish residents, and vice versa.

Even though the UK is no longer in the EU and its transition period will have ended on New Year's Day, it seems likely that any antigen-testing protocol laid down by the 27 member States would be honoured, at least, or adopted by British authorities.

Antigen tests would, at least, help the holiday industry and allow families to spend Christmas together as a stop-gap until a vaccine is widely available even to very low-risk persons.

Tourism minister 'open to considering' antigen-testing

Spain's industry, commerce and tourism minister Reyes Maroto said in a TV interview that the European Commission's requests, although not binding, carried enough clout to be taken into account, and that she hoped Spain would be using them 'very soon' for 'safe travel corridors'.

At the moment, not many countries have 'travel corridors' set up – departure and arrival points where the Covid-19 incidence is low enough that movement is not considered to be a great risk – although Reyes Maroto describes these as 'countries and regions which carry out checks on entering and leaving'.

In the Greater Madrid region, antigen tests are already being considered as a way to 'save Christmas'.

Authorities there consider that mass testing carried out to date using this method – which has more or less replaced PCR-testing in the capital – has been 'crucial' to reducing the area's contagion rates; in fact, Madrid's infection levels are now much lower than many other regions in Spain.

The regional government says antigen tests upon entering and leaving Madrid could be a 'tool' for guaranteeing safe family reunions over the festive season, and has asked the national government to authorise it to carry out across-the-board testing.

At the moment, arriving in a Spanish airport – or in many other airports in Europe – on an international flight without being able to show a negative PCR result attracts a fine and an instant test on site.

The amount of the fine is not known, but it is likely to be higher than the cost of a PCR test in the traveller's country of origin.

Critics of the system say a test only shows the person is negative at the very moment it is carried out, meaning a traveller entering Spain from the UK may be negative upon setting off, but may catch the virus at the airport and be given clearance at the border believing themselves to be healthy.