Passengers and visitors can now be tested for the presence of the virus causing COVID-19 directly at Václav Havel Airport Prague. Testing is performed by an accredited GHC Genetics laboratory. The new service will facilitate safe travelling and also reduce the spread of the disease. Both passengers and the general public can use the testing directly at the airport.
Prague Airport has set up three check points where GHC Genetics healthcare professionals provide the testing. One check point is located in the public area of the airport in the connecting corridor between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. It is intended primarily for the general public and for departing passengers who need a negative test result to enter their final destination. The other two check points are located airside in the non-public area of both terminals. The hours of operation of these two points will depend on arrival traffic and current needs. They are expected to be used primarily by passengers on arrivals, who are either obliged to submit a negative COVID-19 test result with regard to the destination from which they are travelling, or who want to take the test voluntarily to ensure their good health.
Passengers and visitors can now be tested for the presence of the virus causing COVID-19 directly at Václav Havel Airport Prague. Testing is performed by an accredited GHC Genetics laboratory. The new service will facilitate safe travelling and also reduce the spread of the disease.
“The health and safety of passengers is our utmost priority,” says Vaclav Rehor, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Prague Airport. “We have therefore decided to join the current trend and ensure the possibility of testing for COVID-19 directly at the airport. We believe that testing will not only increase the safety of passengers and help reduce the risk of spreading the disease when crossing borders, but also make travelling much easier.”
Testing is available to passengers and the general public at Václav Havel Airport Prague daily from 04:00 to midnight. However, the operating hours of the check points will be adjusted according to the current air traffic. The samples taken at the airport are analysed at a remote workplace fitted for the purpose and the test results are available within 12 hours via email.
There is also an express testing service available, under which the results are communicated to the passenger within only three hours. This mode is most suitable for departing passengers who need a negative COVID-19 test result to enter the country of arrival and for arriving passengers requiring a negative test result to quickly enter the Czech Republic. They can wait for the results directly at the airport and only enter the Czech territory with a negative result.
“I am really pleased that our GHC Genetics workplace (certified by the Czech Accreditation Institute, a member of the international accreditation system), which has passed COVID-19 interlaboratory quality tests with the National Reference Laboratory and was included by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic among the official laboratories testing SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), will be an integral part of the work performed by check points at Václav Havel Airport Prague,” says Viktor Furman, GHC Genetics Director. “We provide professional testing for COVID-19 in our laboratories primarily using the method (RT-PCR), but we also perform examinations for IgG and IgM antibodies, both immunologically and immunochromatographically employing the so-called rapid tests.”
The price for the standard RT-PCR COVID-19 test is €65. The price for express performance of the test with delivery of results within three hours is €280. The surcharge for confirmation of test results by a doctor, if requested by the passenger, is €20.
Protecting health and safety of passengers
A number of protective measures have been in place at Václav Havel Airport Prague, set up to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease and protect the health and safety of passengers.
A number of protective measures have been in place at Václav Havel Airport Prague, set up to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease and protect the health and safety of passengers. For several months, Prague Airport has been in close cooperation with public health protection authorities, such as the City Health Station of Prague, consulting on the current situation and all applied measures on an ongoing basis. These include, for example, the keeping of a safe distance between people in all areas of the airport, thorough disinfection of all frequented areas, installation of protective plexiglass at check-in and information counters and the prevention of excessive accumulation of passengers.
The airport is also very active in the area of the education of all its employees and customers, who can use over 250 disinfection dispensers placed across the airport. Passengers can also use online check-in alongside self check-in and self bag drops at the airport, to avoid contact with airport employees.
