Arrivals could have to pay for Covid-19 test
PEOPLE arriving in the island might have to pay for their Covid test self-swab as the Civil Contingencies Authority is considering a charging system to cover the costs of phase 5c.
At yesterday’s press conference, chairman of the CCA, Gavin St Pier, explained the one-off capital cost of setting up testing facilities at the ports is estimated to be £600,000.
Ongoing costs of the 5c testing regime for six months are expected to be in the region of £3.7m.
‘These are substantial sums of money and it is incumbent on us to give full and proper consideration to any charging strategy,’ he said.
As of yet, and without a firm date set for the introduction of phase 5c, it is not known whether arrivals will be charged for the swab test, or indeed how much it would cost.
Deputy St Pier also did not know if it would deter people from wanting to travel.
‘People will need to think of the cost of travelling or going off-island as a whole, and whether they need to factor in the cost of a test or not will be made clear nearer the time,’ he said.
‘This phase produces a lot of trade-offs so we have to play off the consequences of each decision.
‘As we go forward we have to think where it is reasonable for that burden to lie, for example should it fall to taxpayers or just travellers?’
The testing regime will also come at the cost of a temporary loss of 49 parking spaces on the East Arm car park at the harbour during the construction of testing facilities that will begin next week.
And when operational, there will be a loss of between 107 on a normal day when a boatload of passengers is in, and 175 spaces on a busy day.
Health & Social Care president Heidi Soulsby clarified that any symptomatic people who are tested for the virus at the facility by the pathology section of the
PEH will not be charged for their test.
It is important that anyone with any symptoms, however mild, puts themselves forward for testing and should not be dissuaded from coming forward for any reason.
Jersey tests all arrivals at its airport but does not charge.
