UK tourists travelling to the Algarve this summer with EasyJet will have access to more convenient COVID-19 pre and post-travel tests provided by Boots. Passengers on the low-cost airline – one of the main operators at Faro Airport – will be able to connect directly to Boots.com’s testing hub when planning their trip.
According to EasyJet, customers can book the pre-departure in-store COVID-19 PCR testing service (£85), which is available at over 200 Boots stores and offers results the next day. Alternatively, they can purchase an at-home self-swab COVID-19 PCR test kit (£65) from 500 stores or online via Boots.com to be delivered to their home, offering results from 24 to 48 hours from receipt of the sample at the lab. Customers travelling to countries that accept antigen tests can book the in-store COVID-19 rapid antigen testing service (£59.00), which provides same-day results and is available at 30 Boots stores.
The daily-updated GOV.UK website currently notes that Portugal “accepts an antigen test that meets the performance standards set out in the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests, taken within 48 hours of travel”.
The UK’s largest pharmacy-led health and beauty chain, Boots offers a day two and day eight post-travel COVID-19 testing service for international arrivals into the UK, and is also accredited as a test provider for the government’s “Test to Release” scheme. This service provides next-day results for returning holidaymakers who want to reduce their home quarantine period with a voluntary test on the fifth full day after arriving in England from a country on the “amber” list, such as Portugal.
Announcing the Boots partnership, chief commercial officer Sophie Dekkers said, “At EasyJet we’re focussed on ensuring travel is easy and accessible for all and that is especially important this summer. We’re delighted to be partnering with Boots to provide customers with more direct access to trusted testing services, making it easier to travel with us this summer.”
Added Asif Aziz, director of healthcare services at Boots UK, “This new partnership between Boots and EasyJet is designed to make lives easier for people who are travelling abroad this summer. At Boots we are proud of our COVID-19 travel testing offer, which provides a range of options to customers, available online and in our stores. We plan to work closely with EasyJet in the coming weeks and months to help their passengers navigate the requirements around COVID-19 testing for passengers and provide competitively-priced solutions.”