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Emirates airlines requires passengers to first be tested for COVID-19

April 17, 2020

Emirates airlines has required passengers to have a blood test for COVID-19, with results provided within 10 minutes, according to a Quartz report.

The airline will require the tests before any flight to destinations requiring the COVID-19 test certificates being considered by the U.K. and Germany.

These tests do not diagnose a current COVID-19 infection. Instead, they check for antibodies, which can reveal whether the passenger has been exposed to the virus. Passengers still infected with the virus could still board and possibly contaminate others on the plane and at its destination.

Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi recently announced plans to test a kiosk that can detect if passengers have symptoms of a viral illness,

Hong Kong became the first airport to require COVID-19 testing. Passengers arriving from high-risk areas like China’s Hubei province or the U.K. will receive tests, with results provided within eight hours. Passengers arriving from areas with fewer infections will also be tested but will receive results after they arrive home.