Airline Is First to Test Passengers for Virus

Might a jab from a needle become standard protocol for flight check-ins? Emirates Airline tested passengers for COVID-19 on Wednesday before a flight from Dubai to Tunisia, reports NPR. The airline, the first to employ the practice, used a test that produces results in 10 minutes. This was just a trial run, but the airline hopes to expand the testing for other flights as well. It did not disclose whether any passengers tested positive or whether people would still be allowed to fly if they did. The airline is based in the United Arab Emirates.

"This will enable us to conduct on-site tests and provide immediate confirmation for Emirates passengers travelling to countries that require COVID-19 test certificates," the airline's chief operating officer said in a statement. This kind of testing could be a first step back toward normalcy in the air industry, notes Business Insider, though it adds that the logistics of scaling up testing for all air travelers is currently daunting. (More coronavirus stories.)