If you're arriving into the UK from Spain or other high-risk countries, you currently have to quarantine for two weeks to stop the spread of coronavirus

Some countries are testing everyone on arrival

So, why isn’t the UK doing this?

[Thread] http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest

Iceland is offering travellers a choice: two weeks quarantine or a Covid-19 test

Germany is planning compulsory tests at airports arrivals from high-risk countries

But, the UK government says it currently has no plans to introduce airport testing

http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest

The UK government says testing at airports is logistically difficult, and could miss some coronavirus cases

It says asking travellers to self-isolate for 14 days instead reduces the risk

http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest

Tests are safe and accurate, but can sometimes give a false negative

This means someone might be incorrectly told they don’t have the virus, when they actually do, and could be spreading it

http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest

It can take the virus days to become detectable, meaning someone who tests negative could still be incubating an infection

“A negative test result may give people a false sense of security” says Dr Joshua Moon from the University of Sussex

http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest

The government says it’s important to be cautious, and if every traveller from a high-risk country quarantines then risk of spreading coronavirus is very low

This approach has been criticised by industry experts

Read more about the latest testing plans: http://bbc.in/CV19UKTravelTest