THE Welsh Government has defended its stricter rules on testing people who arrive in the country after Conservative calls for a more "affordable and equitable" system.

Currently, nearly all people who arrive in Wales from outside the British Isles – including Welsh citizens who go abroad and return home – must take at least one PCR test for coronavirus, depending on the traffic-light status of the country they travel from.

Those tests, booked in Wales via agent CMT, cost £88 each, and the Welsh Conservatives have called for cheaper alternatives.

In England, PCR tests are available through private firms and the costs vary wildly, depending on the provider, with around 50 offering tests for less than £88.

According to UK government information on the gov.uk website, some tests are available for as little as £20 each, while others can cost more than £200.

The Tories say the blanket charge of £88 per test in Wales is too high and putting people off travelling.

Shadow health minister Russell George said the Welsh Government should "ensure an affordable and equitable testing process is in place" for people who "want to go abroad – and... feel it is right for them to do so".

International travel is currently being discouraged by Welsh ministers, who last week expressed disappointment that the UK government had relaxed travel rules for some arrivals in England. Wales has followed suit with the changes because it would not be "practical or viable" to introduce separate rules.

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But Mr George said the Welsh Government should take a softer approach to travel and lower testing costs, noting that it would cost a family of four more than £350 to get tested when they returned from a holiday.

“Covid-19 will be with us for the long-term and we will have to learn to live with the virus both at home and abroad," Mr George added. "It’s been a miserable 18 months and for those who want to be reunited with families or travel to ‘green countries’ for some relief and enjoyment, the Welsh Government should make that as easy, not as difficult, as possible.

“Labour’s system means only the wealthiest in Wales can afford to go away this summer, which isn’t right or fair. Ministers must look again at the process.”

But the Welsh Government said it had reservations about allowing arrivals to take PCR tests with private firms, and the current system meant the NHS could accurately monitor cases and variants related to travel.

“We have raised concerns about the level of service provided by some of these private providers across a range of issues in a letter to the Secretary of State [for Health] and are seeking assurances from UK Government on the performance and monitoring of the private providers included on its list on gov.uk," a Welsh Government spokesperson told The National.

“When we are assured systems are in place to protect the Welsh public, we will review the position so that people can access tests from private companies.”

The government also defended its policy of using a single booking agent for tests, saying that CTM had been appointed by the UK government to manage quarantine and testing arrangements across the UK.

The tests currently being used for arrivals in Wales are NHS tests, the price of which is the same across the UK and set by Westminster, the Welsh Government spokesperson said, adding that the benefits of using these tests was that "any new variants can be properly genomic sequenced and their data flows securely into the NHS systems".

  • This article originally appeared on our sister site The National.