After reopening on May 29, Luxembourg Findel Airport (LUX) is offering arriving passengers the chance to get tested for the deadly coronavirus for free. The Ministry of Mobility and Public Works announced that arriving passengers could get tested at the airport or any COVID-19 testing center in the country.

The project, a joint venture between the airport and the government, is expected to last one month but could be extended depending upon the circumstances.

Arriving passengers will be given a voucher for testing

Arriving passengers will receive a voucher at the airport that is valid for seven days to be tested for the coronavirus at a testing center of their choosing. Those not wishing to get tested at the airport can use one of the 17 drive-through, cycle-through, or walk-through test centers. Once checked, arriving passengers will receive the results electronically within seven days. If the test proves positive, the infected person must say who they have been in contact with, and standard 14-day self-quarantine rules will apply.

Sheremetyevo Airport Coronavirus
Passengers will be able to choose where to get tested. Photo: Getty Images

Luxembourg Airport has only been open for a select number of European visitors, mainly made up of returning residents. The country is, however, expected to open up to non-European visitors starting June 15.

The government of Luxembourg is also expected to make the wearing of face masks on public transport mandatory. The measure to extend the wearing of face masks beyond the state of emergency that was set up in March was discussed in parliament last Friday. The current rules that include the closure of bars and restaurants are expected to end on June 24.

A little bit about Luxembourg

Wedged between France, Germany, and Belgium, Luxembourg is the second smallest country by land area and population in the European Union. In case you were trying to think what the tiniest state is, it happens to be Malta. What sets Luxembourg apart from its neighbors is that per capita, it is one of the world's wealthiest nations.

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Luxair's Dash 8 aircraft will be en route to Montenegro starting from this December. Photo: Luxair

With financing not being a problem, Luxembourg is planning to test its entire 600,000 population for the coronavirus to be ready to combat a second wave that is predicted to arrive in the winter. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Europe, Luxembourg has seen 4,000 people test positive with 110 related deaths.

When speaking about the country's ambitious testing program with TIME magazine, Luxembourg's COVID 19 task force spokesperson Paul Wilmes said,

"The first aim is to break these infection chains throughout the whole population, to basically dampen a second potential wave that might ensue."

Iceland is also offering free testing

In related news, Iceland will also be testing passengers arriving at Keflavík International Airport (KEF) from around June 15. Samples taken at the airport will be sent to Reykjavík and analyzed at Landspítali National University Hospital.

Icelandair, Boeing 767, Heart Flight Path
The airline has expanded its European summer network. Photo: Getty Images

Last month, COVID-19 tests were available for passengers arriving at Vienna International Airport (VIE), but they were not cheap at 190€ per test. Both Luxembourg and Iceland will be offering free testing to arriving passengers.

Given the cost of getting tested for the coronavirus, if you suspect that you might have already had it but don't know, it might be worth a quick trip to either Iceland or Luxembourg. Both Luxair and Icelandair offer direct flights to select cities in Europe.

What do you think about free testing? Please let us know your thoughts on COVID-19 testing in the comments.