Edinburgh first Scottish airport to offer rapid Covid-19 screening
The site, which can be found through the Covid Screening entrance to the left of the departures entrance, offers fast and accurate lateral flow and PCR testing.
PCR tests costs £99 per person for the general public, £80 per person for airline passengers.
Lateral flow tests are available for £50 per person, with no booking required as this is a walk-in service; customers will be asked to fill out their details and sign the consent form at the site. The customer will then be guided through to their testing booth by a member of ExpressTest staff, where they will be swabbed. Results are emailed to customers 20 minutes after the test, and providing that the test result is negative, they will also receive a Fit to Fly certificate.
Customers who require a PCR test should book via the ExpressTest website prior to arrival. ExpressTest aim to deliver PCR test results by 10pm the day after the test; however, results could take up to 48 hours to receive.
The opening of the new walk-in site comes following the launch of the ExpressTest drive-through PCR testing centre at Edinburgh Airport last year.
“Testing will form an important part of travel for the foreseeable future and providing that facility at airports will form part of our business as normal plans,” said Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport.
“Introducing this on-site will make things easier for those people who are either carrying out essential travel or who return to travel when it is safe to do so.”
ExpressTest is delivered using lateral flow tests and the latest gold standard PCR equipment that is all fully CE-IVD certified and manufactured to the highest possible standards. The tests are carried out by a trained screening practitioner in full personal protective equipment.
The service is available now, but people in Scotland must continue to follow the latest government guidance, including travel restrictions, as laid out by the Scottish Government here.
This ExpressTest service will be an important aspect of the UK’s return to travel once restrictions are lifted.
ExpressTest was set up by its parent company, Cignpost Diagnostics, whose clients include Netflix, the BBC and the PGA European Tour. The company’s founders, Nick Markham, Steve Whatley and Professor Denis Kinane, also the company’s Chief Medical Officer, are now using their expertise to deliver world-class testing to the general public.
Nick Markham said: “As a growing number of airlines and destinations now require a negative lateral flow test as well as a negative PCR test to be able to travel, we are very excited to be supporting Edinburgh airport in offering these services.
“We hope that these testing services will play a big role in helping to lift the travel restrictions currently in place, and we’re delighted to be able to offer safe and reliable services to the public.”
Opening hours are 10am to 6pm.
For more details, visit www.expresstest.co.uk