NEARLY a year into the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tory Government plans to introduce coronavirus testing for some people coming into the UK.
According to a report in The Independent this morning, ministers are looking at requiring visitors to take a PCR test no more than 72 hours before departure and show their negative test certificate before being allowed onto trains, ferries or planes to the UK.
However there are government figures pushing for British nationals and UK residents to be exempt from the rule, it was reported.
While requiring a negative test for entry would bring the UK into line with many other countries, exempting citizens and residents from the rule is not a common step.
READ MORE: Calls to close borders as UK Covid cases hit new record high
The Prime Minister and Transport Secretary have previously dismissed appeals from airlines and airports, saying it could create a “false sense of security”.
And in December Home Secretary Priti Patel falsely claimed the UK Government already requires travellers to take tests. She told the Today programme: “We ask passengers to take tests before they get on airplanes.”
Airport bosses have been unhappy with the response. Gordon Dewar, the chief executive of Edinburgh Airport, has been calling for testing at airports for some time.
“We do not expect to break even until 2021 and we face tough choices to ensure we protect as many jobs as we can, and that will always be our main focus,” he said.
“Our business plans have been in a constant state of flux due to circumstances worsening, the introduction of and constant changes to quarantine, and of course all of this feeds into passenger confidence.
“We need to see a robust testing regime which will protect public health, provide reassurance and see travel and tourism begin to rebuild.”
READ MORE: Scottish aviation sector worth £4 billion a year, report reveals
Yesterday First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said “urgent” talks are ongoing over tightening border controls to slow the spread of coronavirus.
“I had a four nations discussion last night, chaired by Michael Gove from the UK Government, where the issue of the border, stricter restrictions on travel, including controls at the border, was discussed,” she told yesterday’s Covid briefing in Edinburgh.
“There was an agreement in that call to take forward urgent four-nation discussions about that over the course of the days [ahead].”
Sturgeon continued: “I think there has been some speculation from the UK Government about a possible announcement soon and we are part of those discussions.”
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