Vienna Airport launches on-site testing for COVID-19

Jose Vatres (R) holds his son Aidin who reacts as nurse practitioner Alexander Panis (L) takes a nasal swab sample to test for COVID-19 at a mobile testing station in a public school parking area in Compton, California, just south of Los Angeles, on April 28, 2020. St. John’s Well Child and Family Center is providing COVID-19 testing sites in African-American and Latino communities which have been neglected in terms of testing as compared to wealthier areas of Los Angeles County. Image: AFP/Robyn Beck via AFP Relaxnews

Passengers at Vienna International Airport can now sign up to get tested for the coronavirus.

For departing passengers, that means they can use the medical certificate to prove that they are not infected with COVID-19 when they arrive at their destination. Countries like Thailand, Bangladesh and Cambodia, for instance, require that arriving passengers carry a medical certificate proving they are COVID-19 free.

Austria too has made medical certificates mandatory. But passengers arriving at Vienna International Airport without a certificate can get tested on-site. If the test results are negative, travelers will be exempt from the mandatory 14-day quarantine imposed on all travelers who arrive without medical clearance.

Tests will only be conducted on asymptomatic travelers who do not exhibit the classic signs of the virus: cough and fever. Those who already demonstrate symptoms and have been in contact with infected persons will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days.

The PCR tests, which collect samples from deep within the nose and throat, will be carried out by Confidence DNA Analysen GmbH and cost 190 euros (about P10,300). Tests must be booked in advance.

Meanwhile, major international airlines have also begun introducing their own precautionary and screening measures at their home airports. Emirates has begun conducting coronavirus blood tests for passengers leaving from Dubai. The tests are conducted by the Dubai Health Authority, and results are ready in 10 minutes.

Etihad Airways has installed self-serve, contactless kiosks that can flag at-risk travelers by monitoring their temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate. JB

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