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Rome Fiumicino Airport plans to welcome passengers from the United States without requiring them to quarantine, as long as they test negative for the new coronavirus multiple times. Fiumicino claims it will be the first airport in Europe to offer “COVID tested flights”, creating what it calls “safe air corridors” between Italy and the United States.
It will test the idea in December, starting with flights from JFK Airport in New York, Newark Airport in New Jersey and Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. If those flights are successful, similar flights could be made “widely available” by summer 2021, according to Fiumicino.
Fiumicino says he will require passengers to pass a molecular or antigen test within 48 hours before takeoff. They will also have to pass a quick test once they arrive at the airport in Italy. The airport has followed similar procedures on “COVID-tested flights” between Rome and Milan since September.
Delta Air Lines, which along with Alitalia will operate the flights, set slightly different guidelines in a press release. Its customers will have to pass a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test – considered the “gold standard” – up to 72 hours before departure. They will have to test negative again on rapid tests carried out at airports on both ends of their journey.
It is risky to rely solely on testing as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 tests, especially rapid tests, don’t always detect the virus when someone has just been infected and doesn’t yet have many viruses in their body. Testing can give people a false sense of security and is not a substitute for taking precautions like physical distancing and wearing a mask. Italy and the United States are grappling with a surge in COVID-19 infections. Public health officials warn things could get worse if people plan to travel for the holiday season.
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