Media Coverage

Logan now offers COVID-19 tests for passengers

XpresCheck has set up a modular facility inside Terminal E and can administer more than 400 tests a day.

By Christopher Muther Globe Staff,Updated November 23, 2020, 12:32 p.m.

People wait in line for XpresCheck COVID-19 testing at Logan International Airport on Monday. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

As people return to airports for holiday travel in numbers not seen since the beginning of the pandemic, passengers now have the option of getting a COVID-19 test in the international arrivals area of Terminal E at Logan. Previously, testing at Logan was limited to airline employees.

According to XpresCheck, the company running the testing program, the modular facility constructed inside the terminal is located before TSA security checkpoints and contains seven separate testing rooms with the ability to administer more than 400 tests a day for passengers arriving and departing from all terminals. XpresCheck is offering three kinds of tests with prices varying by option: the Rapid Molecular COVID-19 test for $200, the Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR) for $75, or the Blood Antibody test for $75. A pairing of the Polymerase Chain Reaction test and the Blood Antibody test is available for $90.

Results for the rapid test are available within 20 minutes. Results for the Polymerase Chain Reaction and the Blood Antibody tests are ready within two to three days and are sent to travelers on the company’s secure Internet portal. XpresCheck accepts insurance for the individual PCR and Blood Antibody test; people who receive the rapid test may be able to submit their own insurance claim after their visit.

Danielle Smith, of Norton, stood in line with her 5-year-old daughter Hayden for 3 hours to get tested.

Walk-ins are welcome from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., but given the demand for COVID-19 tests across Massachusetts this week, appointments are recommended. Appointments can be made on the XpresCheck website at www.XpresCheck.com.

Experts have cautioned that a negative coronavirus test does not necessarily mean it’s safe to gather with others for Thanksgiving. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious diseases expert, said he’s worried that crowding at US airports from Thanksgiving travel could lead to a further surge in cases.