Cost of Covid-19 testing (FOI)

Can you please provide the approximate cost and breakdown of each of the various COVID 19 tests provided to those people coming into the island.

Essentially I want to know how much each test given costs individually. 

Please also provide the approx cost incurred due to follow up tests on individuals that test positive at or shortly after arrival and then the costs incurred per person in following up subsequent positive results, aka the costs incurred of contacting all those in close proximity to the positive person.

Please provide a total costs to date incurred of testing of those coming into the island and the number of tests carried out on all those coming into the island since the tests were first introduced.

Tests for arriving passengers are processed by a company in England. This is completed under a contract, and therefore is commercially sensitive and costs cannot be disclosed.

Since the borders opened on 3 July, as at 25 August, 49,025 tests had been taken from arriving passengers.

Contact tracing is undertaken by a separate government service. On average, once a direct contact has been identified, between 3 and 4 hours are needed for interview and follow-up welfare calls. The total staff cost for each direct contact is approximately £100.

Information is qualified exempt information if –
(a)    it constitutes a trade secret; or
(b)    its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information).

Prejudice / public interest test

Article 33 (b) allows an authority to refuse a request for information where its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of a person (including the scheduled public authority holding the information). Whilst we accept that the public may have an interest in the value of contracts in relation to Covid-19 testing, we believe the contract values are commercially sensitive and that the release of this data could affect the negotiation of future contracts.