Airport Covid testing area to be dismantled
GUERNSEY Airport’s Covid testing facility will start being removed next week, as infection levels are at one of their lowest points since the island reopened its borders.
The now-familiar wooden structures were built in the public area of the airport outside the main arrivals entrance in the summer of 2020 to allow travellers arriving into the island to be tested, and for their travel trackers to be checked in private cubicles.
At the busiest times up to 2,000 tests a day would be done at the ports.
The travel testing regime ending in February 2022, but the structures have stayed up.
Health & Social Care has now agreed they can be removed.
Guernsey Airport has supported the decision and head of passenger operations and aviation security Steve Langlois welcomed the move.
‘We’re pleased to begin the removal of the Covid testing facility at Guernsey Airport
as it symbolises a very challenging time for the community and it ushers in a complete exit from pandemic travel restrictions.
‘We are planning to remove the testing booths in a phased way to reduce disruption to the travelling public. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all airport users for their support and understanding during this time,' he said.
Phase one of the work is scheduled to begin on 14 February after the airport has closed. It will include the removal of the exit area at the eastern end of the facility. Once this area is removed, a number of booths will be removed during quieter periods to reduce disruption to travellers.
Officially there were just 61 active Covid cases in the last week and fewer than five patients in hospital with a recent Covid diagnosis.
Islanders should still report any positive Covid cases. Cases have been dropping since Christmas, following a small spike in cases in December.
But Guernsey has not had a big outbreak since July, when there was 1,333 active cases in a week.
n Surveillance LFT testing ended in December. Previously boxes of 25 tests were given out for free to households to monitor their Covid status.
Free tests are still available for visitors to care and residential homes, hospital or the prison, who are provided with an LFT from those settings. Symptomatic people can also get a pack of five individual tests, which can be collected by a symptom-free person from Beau Sejour.
If no one suitable can collect the tests, islanders can call the Covid helpline for further assistance on 220001, option 1.
