Virgin offers free virus checks to Barbados

Virgin Atlantic has joined the trend of offering pre-departure COVID-19 tests to passengers. The airline launched the testing trial on select flights from London Heathrow to Barbados on Wednesday.

On select flights between London Heathrow and Barbados, passengers are required to take a rapid COVID-19 test before being allowed to board the aircraft. The rapid, point of care, lateral flow antigen test will be free of charge to passengers and be administered in Terminal 2’s pre-departure testing facility.

The six-week trial, which has been launched in partnership with Collinson, London Heathrow and the Barbados Ministry of Tourism & Integral Transport, are administered to passengers up to one hour and 45 minutes before departure. Passengers receive their digital and printed test result within 30 minutes. Once a passenger has received their negative result, they are able to proceed through security and board the plane.

Passengers travelling onwards to Antigua and Grenada from Barbados on the eligible flights also have to undergo the testing.

Unfortunately, even with the pre-departure rapid test, passengers still have to abide by local regulations on arrival in Barbados. At this time, the UK is still deemed high-risk, meaning that passengers also need to have a negative PCR test result with them, taken within 72 hours of arrival. Additionally, they have to quarantine for two to three days when they arrive in Barbados. After that period, they then have to take another PCR test. If that result comes back negative, visitors are permitted to travel freely around the island.