Plans are being put in place to test people arriving at Cardiff Airport for coronavirus.
First Minister Mark Drakeford has indicated that discussions are underway to test passengers on arrival into Wales.
Speaking at Plenary on Tuesday, September 15, he said: “We are in discussions with the airport in Cardiff to see if we can find a practical way in which airport testing itself could be carried out.”
People coming back from several popular holiday destinations are required to isolate for 14 days but this is not actively enforced. Failure in isolation has been pointed to by public health officials as one of the main reasons for recent outbreaks.
However, Mr Drakeford added that there will still hurdles to overcome and the tests would not be mandatory.
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He said: “There are some practical issues that have to be addressed in that, in terms of the length of time that people may have to wait at an airport, how long people would be prepared to wait at an airport - you can't require people to do these things; it's a matter of voluntary participation.
“Therefore, you have to spend a bit of time to make sure that, if you are able to provide tests at an airport, you can do it in a way that is effective, and those discussions with the airport authorities here in Cardiff are continuing.”
Labour's shadow home secretary, Welsh MP Nick Thomas-Symonds, has called for a robust testing regime in airports across the UK as a way to minimise the need for the two-week isolation period upon return to the UK.
In a letter to the Home Secretary, he said: “Given the huge challenges being faced by the travel sector and the scale of job losses, it makes sense to look at this area as part of a wider package of improvements to the testing regime.”
