Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of trials of large-scale temperature checks to help screen arriving and departing passengers for suspected covid-19 infection at Heathrow Airport.

Temperature testing is not currently a requirement at UK airports, however we are keeping all measures under constant review to ensure our approach is determined by the latest situation and is informed by the latest scientific findings. We have been engaging closely with London Heathrow Airport on the implementation of their temperature screening trial and are keen to see the results.

The department’s Chief Scientific Advisor has advised there are some limitations of temperature testing such as some symptomatic cases not always having a high temperature through the period when they are infectious. Therefore, it is important that any changes to our approach will be led by advice from SAGE and the Chief Medical Officer. Protecting the health of the UK public will always come first.