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Evening Standard comment: Ministers must go faster on airport tests | Hail Covid volunteers | Feeding the hungry

Andy Davey
Andy Davey

The introduction today of airport testing at Heathrow for people flying to Hong Kong and Italy is a small but very welcome step towards reactivating the airline industry and helping the many leisure and business customers it serves.

This initial scheme involves outbound passengers taking an £80 test to show that they are Covid negative and safe to be admitted into whichever of the two countries they’re travelling to.

Both destinations require inbound passengers to provide a negative test and it’s good that travel to each is becoming easier as a result of today’s initiative.

But that’s where the positive news largely stops, because while Heathrow should be congratulated for its efforts to find ways to help us fly again, the Government by contrast has been far too slow and still isn’t doing enough.

As the Evening Standard has repeatedly emphasised, getting our travel industry back on its feet is critical for our future economic and mental well-being, and part of learning to live with a virus which is so far proving less threatening in its current resurgence than it was during the first wave in March and April — as our report yesterday on London’s “slow-burn” hospitalisation levels showed.

That’s why it’s so disappointing that ministers haven’t done more to get airport testing running.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says talks are under way with US authorities about a system involving “multiple tests” that could reduce the quarantine time after flying in from America to around seven or eight days.

A start date of December is mooted. But the airlines are right to say that’s still too long in quarantine and that faster turnaround times are essential to make flying sufficiently appealing again for tourists, holidaymakers and many business people.

Agreed “air corridors” with many more countries are needed too. So while we welcome today’s advance, the Government must stop dithering and get airport testing sorted so we can all start flying again.

Hail Covid volunteers

Up to 90 volunteers have agreed to be infected with Covid-19 for a “human challenge” study at London’s Royal Free Hospital which aims to speed up the development of a vaccine and learn more about the virus.

We salute the public-spirited courage of all those involved, as well as the scientists whose vaccines they will test.

The whole world will be grateful if their efforts pay off.

Feeding the hungry

Our proprietor, Evgeny Lebedev, writes today of how he watched hundreds queuing in Trafalgar Square for a meal made from food provided by the charity partner, the Felix Project.

Mr Lebedev says it’s hard to believe that this is modern-day London and is right to be alarmed at the prospect of worse to come.

We hope not, but are pleased that the Felix Project, which has now helped supply 13 million meals since the start of lockdown, is trying to alleviate the suffering.

We thank all our donors for their vital generosity.

Read more

Now extend rapid airport tests to new places, say travel bosses