Testing airport passengers is twice as effective as quarantine in reducing Covid transmission, claims report
The IndependentSign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Testing passengers for coronavirus on arrival into the UK is twice as effective at reducing community transmission as the government’s current blanket 14-day quarantine policy, according to a new report. Compiled by economics consultancy Oxera and healthcare data specialists Edge Health, the study claims the two-week quarantine is actually the least effective method of preventing Covid-19 transmission compared to all forms of passenger testing. “The current policy of 14-day quarantine is the least effective strategy due to human behaviour, with returning travellers often failing to comply and risking community transmission,” said George Batchelor, cofounder and director of Edge Health. “Our modelling finds a much more effective path in passenger testing, which if it’s applied as a ‘test and release’ regime, performs the best at reducing infectious days after three days quarantine.