Teething problems in the organisation of the testing of passengers arriving at Brussels Airport have been resolved, airport management said.
Yesterday came reports that many passengers landing at Brussels Airport and required to take a Covid-19 test were unable to do so because of delays in obtaining a code which allows the test to be administered.
As a result, many residents were advised to go home and await the code then organise testing for themselves. And non-residents simply had to wait.
During the course of the day, the airport management consulted with the medical insurance administration Inami/Riziv, who gave the go-ahead for testing to continue without codes and free of charge, based on a system of manual registration.
In the meantime, a spokesperson for the airport said, the problem with the delivery of codes has been resolved.
Under the new rules in force since Friday, all residents returning from a stay of more than 48 hours in a red zone – effectively the whole of Europe – are obliged to fill in an online Passenger Location Form (PLF). They then receive a QR code allowing them to be tested at the airport.
Once that is done, they return home and go into quarantine for seven days, then take another test.
All non-residents must be tested on the spot at their own expense, unless they can show a certificate of a recent negative test.
Brussels Airport’s testing station is now able to test four times as many passengers as before – up to 500 an hour. In addition, testing stations have now been opened at other entry points to the country, including Charleroi and Liege airports, Brussels-South railway station and stations at Antwerp Central and Liege-Guillemins. The PLF remains obligatory for anyone spending 48 hours in a red zone who was travelling by car.
Alan Hope
The Brussels Times
