- Holidaymakers paid an estimated £26.7 million for PCR tests in July while only 293 positive tests were checked for variants, equivalent to around £90,000 for each sequenced result.
- Fewer than one in twenty positive tests are being checked for new variants from top holiday destinations including France (4.9%), Greece (3.5%) and Portugal (4.2%).
- Only one in twelve (8.4%) positive tests of arrivals from Spain and one in ten (10.2%) from Italy are being sequenced for Covid mutations.
- Liberal Democrats warn that “travellers are paying through the nose for a system that isn’t doing its job.”
UK holidaymakers are paying out millions of pounds for PCR tests that aren’t checked for new Covid variants, research by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
Analysis of the latest NHS Test and Trace data1 has found that arrivals into the UK spent an estimated £26.7 million on almost 356,000 PCR tests in the three weeks to 21 July. Around £5.3 million was spent by arrivals from Spain, followed by the United States (£1.9m), France (£1.9m), Greece (£1.7m), Poland (£1.3m) and Italy (£1.2m).
5,000 of the PCR tests came back positive over the same period, and of these just 293 or 5.9% were checked for new variants. This means overall holidaymakers paid the equivalent of around £90,000 for each test sequenced.
It comes despite the government emphasising that PCR tests for international travel are needed to help monitor new Covid mutations, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps saying last week that they are helpful to “keep a very close eye on variants”.
The proportion of positive tests being sequenced for Covid variants was less than one in twenty for top holiday destinations including France (4.9%), Greece (3.5%) and Portugal (4.2%). Only one in twelve (8.4%) positive tests of arrivals from Spain, the most popular travel destination, were checked for variants, compared to one in ten (10.2%) from Italy.
For the United States, the second top country for UK arrivals, just one in 27 (3.66%) positive tests were sequenced for new variants. It means arrivals from the country are paying out an average of £315,000 on PCR tests for each positive result sequenced, compared to £188,000 for France, £144,000 for Greece, £133,000 for Portugal and £31,000 for Spain.
Commenting on the findings, Liberal Democrat Health, Wellbeing and Social Care spokesperson, Munira Wilson MP said: “Testing at borders is crucial to ensure that potentially dangerous new variants do not arrive in the UK. Grant Shapps said as much only last week, yet this isn’t the reality on the ground. Travellers are paying through the nose for a system that isn’t doing its job.
“The Government is not only dragging its feet over the cost of PCR tests but isn’t even using most of them to track new variants. They must cap the cost of PCR tests for travel and ensure that as many as possible are sequenced for new variants.”