This airline will link COVID-19 test results with passengers' tickets so they can bypass quarantine

Lufthansa is opening special test facilities at airports in Germany to test passengers for COVID-19 and provide them with results in four to five hours that are linked to their flight tickets.

Lufthansa passengers can now be tested for COVID-19 either before departing from or arriving at the airline's hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. The German airline has partnered with medical centers Centogene and MediCare to offer on-site PCR (polymerase chain reaction) coronavirus tests. The tests require a throat swab and are certified by relevant health authorities in Germany. Passengers who get tested can bypass quarantine in countries where PCR tests are accepted, with results available within four to five hours.

"These test centers offer our customers the opportunity to avoid being quarantined, when arriving in Germany and Austria, with a negative corona test in their hand," said Dr. Björn Becker, Lufthansa's director of product management. "Results are usually available within four to five hours after testing and are linked to the customer’s flight ticket. This also makes it easier for them to travel safely to other countries worldwide that accept a certified PCR corona test as well to avoid quarantine."

Could a 20-minute coronavirus test replace 14-day quarantines for travellers?

Passengers in Frankfurt are required to register for the test in advance either online or directly at the test center. Each tested person will receive the result via an app link and undergo the test a day before departure or right after arrival. The testing facility is located between Terminal 1 and the “Squaire” and is open from Monday to Friday between 9am and 7pm and on Saturdays and Sundays between 9am and 5pm.

In Munich, testing will be carried out at a special facility in Terminal 1. Passengers are required to book in advance by emailing medicare@munich-airport.de .

Germany opened its borders to fellow European countries on 15 June and removed its travel warnings for 27 European nations, including France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. Customers arriving in Germany are subjected to 14-day quarantine if they are arriving from outside the list of "safe" travel countries.

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