To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the efficacy rate of a single COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test for international travellers upon their arrival in circumstances where no pre-departure test has been conducted.
Answered on
12 October 2020
Scientific analysis conducted by Public Health England and approved by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies showed that a single test on the day of arrival would reduce the number of infectious international travellers who enter the community by only 7% compared to a no self-isolation, no test scenario. This is compared to an estimated 99% reduction in the number of infectious international travellers entering the community for a 14-day self-isolation approach.