Israel sets up COVID-19 testing lab at Ben Gurion airport

Jerusalem, Nov 9 : Israel has completed the setup of a coronavirus testing laboratory at Ben Gurion International Airport near the coastal city of Tel Aviv, the Israeli testing company Omega said on Sunday.

The lab was established and will be operated by Omega, in collaboration with the northern Rambam Medical Center, after winning a tender issued by the Israel Airport Authority (IAA).

The lab will be officially launched on Monday, in a ceremony to be attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, transportation and health ministers, and senior IAA officials, according to the Prime Minister’s spokesperson.

The samples will be taken at test booths set up at Terminal 3, the airport’s main terminal.

The prices of the PCR tests will be 135 new shekels (around US $40) for a rapid test, with results given in four hours, and 44.88 shekels for a standard 14-hour test.

Passengers who register in advance will be able to take the test without leaving their cars, in a designated drive-in complex set up at the airport.

The test results will be used by passengers travelling to countries that require negative test results for entering their territory.

The lab will also be used to conduct tests for arriving passengers that have visited countries with high COVID-19 morbidity so that they would not need to undergo a 14-day quarantine in case of negative results.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from IANS service.