Amazon to sell PCR Covid-19 tests for Brits travelling
Amazon will sell Covid PCR test kits to travellers as the giant online retailer moves in on the Covid-19 market.
The online retailer will sell government-approved tests for £34.99 each and offer discounts for those bought in bulk, the Guardian reported today.
Travellers coming into the UK will be able to use the tests sold by Amazon for the UK’s day two and day eight “test-to-release” arrivals programmes.
The launch of Amazon’s international arrivals service has been tipped to be as early as later today, and it is expected to make the government’s approved list of suppliers imminently.
The news comes after reports of week-long waits for travellers to get their PCR results back during the busy Christmas period.
Last week travel testing company giant Qured said that PCR tests could face delays during the Christmas period because delivery providers work on reduced services.
Amazon said customers would get their test results via a secure Amazon website, within 24 hours of their sample reaching the company’s own lab based in Salford, where tests will be processed.
Amazon is already on the official list of Covid test providers having started selling testing kits in the UK earlier this month, but these could not be used by anyone taking a test before or after travelling.
The news comes as mandatory PCR tests have been brought back in by the government in a bid to slow the spread of the Omicron variant, which is forecast to hit the UK in a major wave in January.
Travellers now have to self-isolate when they enter the UK until they receive a negative result as a result of the latest restrictions.
“Widespread access to reliable and affordable Covid-19 testing remains a critical tool in the fight against the spread of the virus,” said Antoine Dreyfus, Amazon’s director heading its UK testing work.
The Amazon test collection kit, he added, would give consumers “access to highly accurate Covid-19 testing, at an affordable price.”