New rapid COVID testing site prepares to get Yorkshire moving

A new walk-in COVID-19 testing service has opened today at Leeds Bradford Airport, in response to the Government’s latest testing requirements.

NPH Group has opened the doors to a new facility that will provide quick and affordable PCR Tests and Rapid Lateral Flow Antigen Tests at Leeds Bradford Airport. NPH Group has partnered with Yourgene, a COVID-19 testing laboratory that will provide PCR testing as part of the service.

The site will provide COVID-19 screening tests to West Yorkshire residents and businesses, helping to identify asymptomatic positive cases for people in the community. Many destinations may require international travellers to provide a negative COVID-19 test in the future and the newly formed facility will provide passengers with a cost effective, reliable, and convenient testing service should this be required.

The facility will have capacity to provide tests for airport passengers returning to the UK, as part of the requirements for Test to Release. This will include offering PCR tests for people isolating at home after entering the UK from a destination that is not on the red list. These tests will be available from Day 5 of arrival and will allow travellers to release themselves from quarantine before the end of the mandated 10 days – providing they have a negative test result.

In addition to this, the site will offer COVID-19 tests as a Travel Pack for any LBA passengers returning to the UK. A recent Government announcement stated that travellers need to take two coronavirus tests while quarantining in an attempt to prevent and control new variants entering the country.  Arrivals will be required to get a test on Days 2 and 8 of their 10-day quarantine period, whether they are isolating at home or in a hotel, in addition to the optional Test to Release on Day 5. The Day 2 and 8 testing is designed to enable the authorities to track new cases more effectively.

The new PCR testing facility will be located conveniently at Viking Airport Parking at LBA, with free on-site parking available whilst having a test. The service will be supported by a state-of-the-art testing laboratory at YourGene, ensuring that accurate results can be turned around quickly within 48hrs and the customer price is kept to a minimum. The PCR Fit to Fly test will cost £110.00.

Rapid Lateral Flow Antigen Tests will be available from the airport’s terminal building within three hours before a flight. These tests provide quick results and are only available for passengers when the airline requires them, costing £60.

Mark Philpott, CEO at NPH Group said: “We are proud to be working with Leeds Bradford Airport to make quality COVID-19 testing accessible, affordable and reliable for travellers. This will ultimately help to keep people who need to travel for essential or business reasons safe and within Government guidelines. It will also help support the Government’s plans to get people and the economy moving again as we ease out of lockdown restrictions.

“We have worked hard to ensure that both the PCR Test and Lateral Flow Antigen Test are as easy as possible for future passengers to access. People can simply visit our website to book a test at a date and time to suit. They can then arrive for their test and receive their results, via email, within 36-48 hours of a PCR Test or within half an hour of a Lateral Flow Antigen Test.

“It’s great to be able to provide this service to the airport and help support them in getting people back in the air safely.”

Lyn Rees, CEO of Yourgene, commented: “We are thrilled to have partnered with NPH Group, providing us with the opportunity to offer our accurate, reliable and trusted COVID-19 testing service through Leeds Bradford Airport. It is unclear at present how the timelines will unfold around lockdown and travel, but we are primed when these restrictions are lifted.”

Damian Ives, Operations Director at Leeds Bradford Airport, added: “Quick and accurate testing looks set to play a critical role in our national economic recovery from COVID-19 which is why we’re delighted to host this new test centre at LBA. In the long term, this partnership will help us bring back more flights to LBA but local residents and businesses are likely to feel the benefits of the test centre soon.”