USA. Health and wellness company XpresSpa Group is actively advancing conversations with partners to develop a model for COVID-19 testing in US airports.

The company has had to temporarily close its doors along with many other airport retailers in the US as a result of the outbreak.

XpresSpa is in dialogue with the offices of US senators, governors, federal authorities, and other agencies to assist in the effort to deliver COVID-19 testing. The company is prepared to convert its spa locations into testing locations – its real estate portfolio consists of 46 locations across 23 US airports.

To this end, XpresSpa has announced a partnership with Chicago-area healthcare company Relevant Healthcare Cost Containment, which has contracts with two leading laboratory companies in the US. The laboratories have the current capacity to process tens of thousands of COVID-19 tests per day.

All COVID-19 testing will be done by appropriately licensed health professionals in accordance with applicable federal and state laws, the partners said.

The wellbeing of travellers and employees at airports is now more relevant than ever. Airports have increased efforts to help keep passengers and employees healthy with enhanced cleaning and screening. Airport medical facilities are few and far between, with Paradies Lagardère’s opening of a walk-in health centre at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in 2018 one example.

“This is a rapidly developing environment with private and public sectors working in unprecedented ways to partner for the benefit and protection of our citizens,” said XpresSpa CEO Doug Satzman.

“We believe XpresSpa has a significant role to play in the fight against COVID-19 within the travel sector given our airport relationships, infrastructure, a workforce with TSA clearance and a strong desire to keep travellers and those who work in the airline industries safe.”

Relevant Healthcare CEO Raymond McGaugh commented: “I believe this is much needed as the US is mobilising to implement the first part of the recognised strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which is mitigation with social distancing and is rapidly moving to implement the second step of testing for the COVID-19 virus on a mass scale to combat the pandemic.

“US airports are undoubtedly one of the most important gateway targets with a large population of US airport workers, vendors, TSA security and screeners personnel, airline personnel, and, of course, travellers.”