Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have not implemented testing for COVID-19 at airports and other ports of entry for those entering the UK.

We are taking clear and decisive action to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. To keep the number of transmissions in the United Kingdom as low as possible, international arrivals from non-exempt countries are required to supply their contact and accommodation information, and self-isolate in their accommodation for 14 days, unless they are exempt.

Work is ongoing with clinicians, the devolved administrations, the testing and travel industries to consider if and how testing could be used in the future to reduce the self-isolation period. Any potential introduction of testing for international arrivals at airports or other ports of entry would need to be robust in order to minimise the chance that positive cases are missed.