Guidelines for COVID-19 Tests for Airline Passengers Could Set Global Bar for Reliability, Sources Say

Guidelines for COVID-19 Tests for Airline Passengers Could Set Global Bar for Reliability, Sources Say
Health workers wearing protective gear wait for passengers to be tested for COVID-19 on arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, near Paris, France, on July 31, 2020. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann
Reuters
Updated:

MONTREAL/WASHINGTON—A global aviation manual now under review by a U.N. body suggests global guidelines calling for the use of highly reliable tests when screening passengers to detect COVID-19 ahead of flights, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Carriers and airports are pushing for uniform global testing guidelines to waive strict quarantine requirements that are decimating travel, with airline trade group IATA forecasting a 66 percent decline in 2020 air traffic because of the pandemic.