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Travellers arriving from red list countries should be tested to cut quarantine times, Sage says

Passengers on a flight from Madrid arrive at Heathrow Airport, following an announcement on Saturday that holidaymakers who had not returned from Spain and its islands by midnight would be forced to quarantine for 14 days after Covid-19 second wave fears saw the European country struck off the UK's safe list. The decision was made after Spain recorded more than 900 fresh daily Covid-19 cases for two days running. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty Images)
Sage thinks people should get tested when they arrive in the UK (Picture: Getty)

Travellers arriving from countries that have been put on a red list due to the number of new coronavirus cases they have should be tested to cut quarantine times, the government’s scientific advisers have said.

Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) said people could be tested at the border for COVID-19 and then again several days later to confirm a diagnosis.

The group added this would allow travellers to quarantine for 10 days instead of the current two weeks.

This process would pick up 96% of infections, according to Public Health England modellers.

This week the UK reimposed coronavirus quarantines on France, the Netherlands and other countries which sparked dismay among airlines and airports struggling to overcome the industry's worst crisis.

People queue in line to check-in for a British Airways flight to Heathrow airport, Friday Aug.14, 2020 at Nice airport, southern France. British holidaymakers in France were mulling whether to return home early Friday to avoid having to self-isolate for 14 days following the U.K. government's decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on France amid a recent pick-up in coronavirus infections. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
People headed to England queue at Nice airport, southern France (Picture: AP)

Sage made the suggestion for airport testing in June, with the minutes of the meeting published on Friday.

It said: “Double testing of travellers significantly reduces the risk of false negatives, and could enable quarantine duration of less than 14 days.”

Travellers could also possibly get tested prior to returning to the UK in order to reduce the quarantine period, Sage added.

The virus does not always show up on initial tests so a period of isolation would always be needed.

Sage revealed on Friday the R rate range of coronavirus infection for the UK is between 0.8 and 1.

The data also showed the growth rate of coronavirus transmission is between -4% and -1%, changing from between minus 5% and zero last week.

A growth rate between -4% to -1% means the number of new infections is shrinking by between 1% and 4% every day.

In England, the overall R rate range is between 0.8 and 1, but Sage has indicated it is not confident that R is currently below one in the country.

In the North-West it is estimated to have risen above one.

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