Tampa Airport 1st in Nation to Offer Passengers COVID Testing

TAMPA -- In a first of its kind pilot program in the US, Tampa International Airport plans to offer COVID-19 testing to all its arriving and departing passengers.

The testing partner is the Baycare organization, which operates several hospitals in and around the Tampa area. Baycare's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Nishant Anand, says they'll offer two tests... the PCR, which is considered the gold standard, involves that long swab that goes way up into a nostril. It looks for coronavirus DNA and takes about two days to turn around. The other test is slightly less accurate but can deliver results in 15 minutes or less.

Airport CEO Joe Lopano says testing will "build confidence in the traveling public". "This is the only airport in the whole country for any passenger on any airline." He says if the test is successful, the airport will "continue" and "grow" the program.

Visit Florida CEO Dana Young told reporters that the airport's rollout of testing will coincide with the return of advertising for Florida tourism in key Northeast markets, next week.

Photo: Tampa International Airport


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