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In Vilnius, a temporary test point has been set up in front of the arrivals hall, in parking lot P2. The new laboratory will perform 4 different Covid-19 tests: PCR in 24-36 or 1.5-3 h, antigens in 20 min or 2 h. People who take the exam will receive certificates that allow them to travel.
Daiva Kazlauskienė, head of Rezus.lt, the company that will carry out the tests, assures that the prices of the tests will range between 33 euros for an antigen test in 2 hours and 140 euros for a rapid PCR test in 1.5 -3 hours.
PHOTO GALLERY. Covid-19 testing begins at Vilnius airport
Evidence will be available not only upon departure, but also to returnees. 50 travelers have already been tested, all of them tested negative. The number of people who have registered for the test is 200. The tests will not only take place from the first until 3 in the morning. The laboratory can serve 50-60 people per hour. Registration and certification will be done electronically.
“Registration is pre-registration, people register through our website or by phone. We try to collect emails. Certificate issuance after the test – automatic. A certificate with a test response is sent to the person traveling by email “, – D. Kazlauskienė comments on receipt of the certificate.
The tests are registered in E.health
After receiving a positive test, the journey ends. The data of all the tests carried out will be entered into the electronic health system, if you receive a positive test, it is necessary to consult your family doctor.
Both Mr. Kazlauskienė and Dainius Čiuplys, Head of the Department of Operations and Infrastructure of Lithuanian Airports, hope that people who have received a negative test will travel responsibly to a place of self-isolation. The airport and the laboratory say they will not control how people are isolated after receiving a positive response to the test.
“It appeals to the self-awareness of a person who, after receiving a positive result, will go to a place of self-isolation and call a family doctor, either in his car, or calling a family member, etc.” D. Čiuplys comments.
Testing is mandatory not only in Lithuania
The tests in the temporary buildings of the airport will be subject to a fee. According to D. Kazlauskienė, director of Rezus.lt, this laboratory could function as a mobile point and carry out tests for free, if only funding from the municipality of Vilnius were provided. Now, returnees from abroad can take the test for free at the mobile point of the city, so it is doubtful that passengers will contact a laboratory near the port.
Lithuanian airports ensure that the timing of the provision of test services will be aligned with the flight schedule, so travelers are encouraged to arrive at least 2.5 hours before the scheduled departure time.
The test often needs to be done no earlier than 72 to 48 hours in advance. Lithuania demands the same from newcomers. A call center will be set up at Vilnius airport to provide information on which country to travel to, what tests will be required: if PCR will be required or if an antigen test will suffice.
Expect to change the view at airports
D. Čiuplys says that the idea of testing so close to the airport is not new. He believes this test point will help change attitudes toward air travel.
“Aviation has been demonized for some time on several occasions. This is one of the ways to eliminate the continuous loop “, comments D. Čiuplys, adding that he does not know how long such tests will take, until it is necessary.
He says that currently the load at the Vilnius airport has decreased drastically, only a tenth of the travelers remain, compared to the beginning of last year.
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