Travelers risk being left “at the mercy of dishonest operators” after an investigation found “serious problems” with the government’s list of providers of coronavirus testing.
Consumer group Which one? discovered that a number of tests listed online turned out to be much more expensive than their listings suggested, while others were unobtainable.
People arriving in the UK from an Amber Category country under the traffic light system must have pre-booked two post-arrival PCR tests to be performed on the second and eighth days.
Analysis of the three cheapest listings on May 25 found prices to range from £ 60 to £ 79.99, but those prices turned out to be linked to unique tests.
Which? also found companies listed on the government website that weren’t even offering testing services at the time.
The consumer group said its investigation showed “serious flaws” in the current system.
Rory Boland, editor-in-chief of Which? Travel, said: “Weeks after some international travel was allowed to resume, it is of great concern to still discover such serious issues with the government’s testing system for travelers – issues that could have been easily resolved though. prior to the restart of travel, had regulatory oversight been ensured from the start.
“As it stands, travelers risk being left at the mercy of rogue operators who at best attempt to take advantage of those seeking testing services to enable them to travel and at worst risk to leave them out of pocket for services that don’t even exist.
People arriving in the UK from a level country must have pre-booked two post-arrival PCR tests to be performed on days two and eight
“The government must urgently address these issues before mass travel resumes, otherwise it will create chaos for travelers who have to rely on the system.”
In response, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Affairs (DHSC) …
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2021-06-10 00:38:00
