Four-hour ‘Check2Fly’ tests to launch right after lockdown
The announcement comes after the Health Ministry approved the rapid tests on January 7.
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANBen-Gurion Airport is empty amid the coronavirus pandemic.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Four-hour coronavirus tests will be available at Ben-Gurion Airport as soon as the lockdown is lifted, Check2Fly confirmed Monday.The announcement comes after the Health Ministry approved the rapid tests on January 7.Although Check2Fly and the ministry had announced that the test already would be available in mid-November, the Health Ministry had not provided approval, hence travelers could not book appointments to be rapidly screened.The four-hour test, which costs NIS 134.64, allows travelers to go to the airport, be screened and wait for their result before boarding the airplane. This is especially helpful for travelers who live far from the airport, such as in Israel’s periphery, Omega Corporation CEO Liron Karassin said.Many countries require that travelers display a negative coronavirus test taken within 72 hours of arrival upon entry. Israel has not yet implemented such a protocol, although it is currently under discussion.Check2Fly said it could already roll out the test, but “today, there are not enough travelers at Ben-Gurion Airport, so there is not really a need,” Karassin said.The Check2Fly coronavirus testing lab at Ben-Gurion Airport was set up in a joint collaboration between Omega Corporation and Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa. It provides a standard PCR test used to directly detect the presence of an antigen, which is considered the most accurate form of testing.
