Riga Airport expands Covid-19 testing options

The patient reception point is located in the airport’s check-in hall, to the right of the entrance, in the former premises of the “TGI Fridays” restaurant.

In view of the epidemiological safety measures at Riga Airport, the point may be visited no earlier than 72 hours before a passenger’s flight by passengers who must present a boarding pass or booking confirmation before entering the terminal. The point will also be available to arriving passengers, who must present a boarding pass to enter the check-in hall, as well as to airport employees and employees of companies operating at the airport.

Appointments for Covid-19 tests at the airport’s patient reception point must be made in advance, although patients without appointments will also be served during available periods between scheduled appointments. Appointments can be made by calling 67801112 or on the E. Gulbja Laboratory website at www.egl.lv, using authentication via Swedbank, SEB, Luminor or Citadele online banking, eParakstsID, eParaksts Mobile or the Smart-ID app.

The point will offer Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing using a nasal and throat swab, PCR testing of saliva, with results available within 24 hours, an antigen, or rapid, test, with results available within 0.5 hours, as well as various antibody tests. Information about the types of antibody tests is available on the E. Gulbja Laboratory website:

• in Latvian: https://www.egl.lv/sars-cov-2-covid-19-diagnostika-e-gulbja-laboratorija/

• in English: https://www.egl.lv/en/sars-cov-2-covid-19-diagnostics-e-gulbja-laboratory

The permanent patient reception point will accept not only Covid-19 samples but also other samples that are not subject to special handling or storage requirements. More precise information can be obtained from laboratory staff by specifying the particular test required.

A testing point will remain available in the airport’s restricted passenger area, where passengers travelling to the Netherlands can take a rapid Covid-19 test. The airport reminds passengers travelling to this country that, before boarding an aircraft, they must present the result of a rapid test taken no earlier than four hours before the flight. The airport recommends that passengers travelling to the Netherlands enter the required information and make the payment on the E. Gulbja Laboratory website before travelling to the airport (https://www.egl.lv/eksprestests-lidosta/?auth), arrive at the airport in good time and proceed to the testing point, located in the airport’s shopping area near the Transfer Centre. The point opens three hours before flights to Amsterdam.

E. Gulbja Laboratory’s contactless Covid-19 testing point also continues to operate at Riga Airport. It is located near the exit from the arrivals hall in Sector E. This point is available to anyone interested, and saliva tests can be submitted there, with results prepared within 24 hours. Airport visitors and employees who have access to authentication tools recognised in Latvia—Swedbank, SEB, Luminor or Citadele online banking, eParakstsID, eParaksts Mobile or Smart-ID—can submit samples at this facility.

As previously reported, since May last year the airport has implemented a comprehensive epidemiological safety programme, “Don’t Let the Virus Travel”, to ensure that travellers who need to fly are maximally protected from the risk of Covid-19 infection. For the safety measures introduced, Riga Airport received a high four-star rating in the prestigious “Skytrax” aviation rating.

The airport reminds passengers that until 25 February, entry into Latvia is permitted only in cases of urgent necessity. International passenger services to and from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Portugal—countries where the spread of a new SARS-CoV-2 mutation has been detected, resulting in a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases—are also suspended.

The requirement also remains in force that entry into Latvia by air is permitted only for passengers who can present a negative Covid-19 test result obtained using the PCR method. After entry, a 10-day period of self-isolation must be observed even if the test result is negative.

Riga Airport urges passengers who currently need to travel to do so responsibly, carefully observing the epidemiological safety requirements established at the airport and during flights, and to find out in good time all the conditions imposed for entry into their destination country. Information on the restrictions and requirements established in European Union countries is compiled on the official website reopen.europa.eu and can also be found at embassies and on the websites of official authorities.

To help passengers prepare better for their journey, Riga Airport has created a video series entitled “Travel Safely and Don’t Let the Virus Travel!”, available on the airport’s YouTube and social media accounts. The main video in the series can be viewed at https://ej.uz/safetravel.

Riga Airport is a rapidly growing Northern European air transport hub connecting the Baltic states with European business centres and popular holiday destinations. As a participating organisation in the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) COVID-19 Aviation Health Safety Protocol Charter, Riga Airport operates according to the highest epidemiological safety standards in the aviation industry. “Skytrax” has awarded Riga Airport a four-star rating for the Covid-19 safety measures implemented.