Autistic child forced to have Covid test by airline

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Brictoria
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Joined: 12 Aug 2013
Age: 48
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Location: Melbourne, Australia

12 Aug 2021, 11:03 am

Quote:
Ryanair staff in Spain made an autistic boy have a Covid test before boarding a flight, despite having an exemption letter, his mother has said.

Katy Hollingsworth, who was travelling to the UK from Valencia with her son Callum, 12, said he was "petrified".

"They said if you don't have a Covid test you can't go home, so we had no choice," said Ms Hollingsworth, who is from Harlow in Essex.

The airline has apologised and says it "regrets to hear of the stress" caused.

Callum, who also has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), had struggled with lockdowns, so the family wanted to take him for a break to his "happy place" in Spain.

Ms Hollingsworth said his one previous test in January had been "a nightmare", so his doctor had provided a medical exemption letter.

He did, however, have a test before he left the UK, but his family said they spent two months preparing him for this.

Government guidance says people with medical conditions which mean they cannot take a test, do not need one to travel to the UK, providing they "present a note from a medical practitioner at check in".

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-essex-58184608