Oakdale-based Genesys Diagnostics to provide COVID testing at Bradley Airport

Photo | Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport's COVID-19 testing site.

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By Sean Teehan

Oakdale-based Genesys Diagnostics Inc. will provide COVID-19 testing for employees and passengers at Bradley International Airport, a move officials hope will boost passenger traffic at the state’s flagship airport.

Genesys will test employees and passengers who are flying in or out of Bradley that day, according to the Connecticut Airport Authority, the quasi-public agency that oversees Bradley. The company will charge $125 per test, and will accept insurance that covers COVID-19 tests.

"It's certainly not going to be the answer to all of the issues," CAA Executive Director Kevin Dillon said in an interview this week. "[But] I think this could be the thing that helps our recovery."

The move comes after Gov. Ned Lamont altered travel guidelines to and from areas with high rates of COVID-19 infection.

Previously, Lamont's executive order required people traveling into Connecticut from a list of 33 restricted U.S. states and territories to quarantine for 14 days. Earlier this month, Lamont eased restrictions to allow travelers to avoid the two-week quarantine if they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of arriving at Bradley.

Under the testing program with Genesys, the company will provide results within 24 hours, and those who test negative may end their quarantine upon receiving results.

“We believe testing plays a crucial role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this new testing site will help make travel convenient and safe for Connecticut residents," Genesys CEO Suneeta Ahuja said in a Wednesday press conference.

Beyond employees, testing will only be available to people who can show a boarding pass for that day, Dillon said. But if demand for testing is high, they could expand the program to a drive-through testing in the parking lot.

"If we do progress to a drive-through site, then we would allow the general population to also use the testing site," Dillon said.