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KPBS Midday Edition

Airlines Turn To Testing To Encourage Travel

Passengers arrive at Terminal 1 at the San Diego International Airport, Dec. 27, 2018.
Matthew Bowler
Passengers arrive at Terminal 1 at the San Diego International Airport, Dec. 27, 2018.
Airlines say this testing is an added layer of protection, in addition to deep cleaning airplanes, wearing masks and staying physically distanced from others. But the CDC says that people who take a test before traveling are still taking a risk.

Pro baseball, hockey and basketball have successfully done it, and now certain airlines and airports are trying to create “bubbles” for travelers.

The idea is to allow you to travel to, and move freely about, a state or country thanks to pre-flight and sometimes post-flight coronavirus testing. The idea started with the state of Alaska, which allowed visitors to skip the 14-day quarantine requirement if they tested negative for the virus. Hawaii is one popular destination where people are also using this method in order to travel.

Airlines say this testing is an added layer of protection, in addition to deep cleaning airplanes, wearing masks and staying physically distanced from others. But the CDC says that people who take a test before traveling are still taking a risk. That's because the test only covers that point in time, and you could become infected after. And you could get a false negative.

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Lori Aratani, writes about travel for The Washington Post, and joins Midday Edition on Wednesday to discuss how the testing works and the impact it's having on airlines' bottom lines.