Affordable PCR travel kits launched for hopeful holidaymakers

Healthcare company Everything Genetic Ltd has launched a £99 at-home PCR test service to make foreign holidays more affordable for British families travelling this summer. 

The company  which is a preferred supplier to healthcare provider Bupa  is now supplying Government-authorised summer holiday kits and individual tests direct to consumers holidaying after 26th July at a reduced price, based on a limited early booking service. 

Consisting of three PCR tests –including the necessary Fit To Fly and Day 2 and 8 kits required by the majority of destinations – the holiday test kit package provides travellers with the reassurance of a highly accurate test and enables them to secure the necessary documentation.  

Available online, the kits include analysis, Day 2 positive test sequencing and a certificate signed by a Consultant Virologist, with a blend of Royal Mail/Courier services incorporated into the set price. The company is also offering an at-need complimentary service for those requiring a replacement point of care rapid PCR test - at over 40 test sites across the country - in the unlikely event they return a failed PCR result and require re-testing. 

Everything Genetic’s Chief Executive, James Price, said: “This is a really exciting time for a lot of families across the country, who are eager for a summer getaway after enduring successive lockdowns in the UK.  

However, research from the airline industry group Iata showed the UK to be one of the most expensive places in the world to take a PCR test. For many families however, the prospect of paying up to £250 a test has made a holiday in 2021 simply unaffordable.  

That’s why it’s really exciting for us to offer our summer test kits direct to consumers. This approach has enabled us to bring the cost of the tests down to a price which gives holidaymakers more spending money whilst holidaying abroad.”  

Under the Government’s new traffic light system announced this monthholiday destinations are split into red, amber or green, depending on their level of Covid risk, with the dozen countries on the green list requiring no need for quarantine for returning travellers. 

However, despite the easing of travel restrictions on 17 May, many countries – even those on the green list  still require proof of a negative PCR test upon entry. People aren’t allowed to use the UK’s free NHS testing service to prove they’re fit to fly and instead, must purchase test kits themselves. 

Everything Genetic Ltd’s test kits come with easy to follow guidance and a fully tracked and paid-for returns service with Royal Mail, which, once received by the UK-partner labs, can return swab results within 12-36 hours. 

Everything Genetic has been working with over 200 corporate partners on Covid testing since the start of the pandemic and has processed more than 200,000 samples over the past 10 months. The company is operating on a first-come first-served basis for its consumer travel kits - in line with its current testing capacity - which it hopes to expand to 30,000 daily samples by this summer. 

For more information on the test kits, please call +44 (0) 1270 623 179 or email: [email protected] 

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