Airport testing reduces rates of infections better than quarantine, data shows

Countries that have expanded their airport testing of arriving holidaymakers have seen their national Covid infection rates decline, according to a new analysis. The data, covering the period from mid-August to this weekend, shows Greece, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Cyprus and Singapore all reduced their rates after intensifying border testing to allow arrivals to avoid 14-day quarantine. The disclosure challenges the Government’s contention that testing on arrival is ineffective and only catches seven per cent of cases - an argument deployed by both Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps on Friday. But in support of The Telegraph’s Test4Travel campaign, Paul Charles, CE of travel consultancy The PC Agency, which conducted the analysis, said the data demonstrated the value of airport testing in enabling travel, while minimising the risk to public health. Along with many in the travel and aviation industry, Charles advocated a two-test model, one on or before arrival and then a second followed up after five days of quarantine, reducing the time travellers have to self-isolate by nine days. “The seven per cent figure is spurious data which is questioned by the whole travel industry as being out of date. Secondly, it only relates to one test at the airport rather than two,” said Charles. Scientists at Collinson Group, which has set up a testing facility at Heathrow, said the Government’s seven per cent figure was based on Public Health England and SAGE modelling rather than the plethora of real-world data now available from countries’ airport testing regimes.<br/>