The pilot scheme will become the first in the US to offer free Covid tests

San Francisco Airport (SFO) has announced that it will launch a voluntary, free Covid-19 testing programme for international arrivals, in partnership with the California Department of Public Health.

Under the programme, arriving passengers will be provided with two free lateral flow and a PCR test kit, to be self-administered on the day of arrival. A second test should be taken three to five days later and if either test returns a positive result customers will then be required to take the PCR test.

Ivar Satero, SFO airport director, said: “We are proud to be the first airport in this pilot programme with the California Department of Public Health. Throughout this pandemic, SFO has been leading the airport industry in developing onsite testing and vaccination capabilities. With this programme, we take another important step forward in understanding how to track and defeat this pandemic.”