4am Tuesday is the start time for PCR tests and compulsory isolation

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• Alan S says:

  28 Nov28 November 13:44

  Are there any providers offering PCR tests at Heathrow Terminal 5 for arrivals without leaving the airport?

  We have a 3.5 hour layover before travelling on to Edinburgh, so I’m wondering if there might be a way to get the test done and out of the way.

• ash says:

  28 Nov28 November 14:15

  I take it reading the comments that Dublin still does not apply after the 30th.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    28 Nov28 November 15:14

    Dublin is in the CTA so no.

• David says:

  28 Nov28 November 14:16

  Any suggestions for a rapid PCR at Heathrow Terminal 3 that issues a PL number.

  • David says:

    28 Nov28 November 14:16

    For arrivals.

  • James says:

    28 Nov28 November 14:50

    Depends how soon you need it but I’ve had good experiences with covidtestingdirect.com, you get the PLF straight away and test costs 89p needs to be a bit in advance though

    • Jody says:

      28 Nov28 November 15:06

      I can see a test on there for £89, but not for 89p!

    • Nick says:

      28 Nov28 November 15:08

      89p for a PCR?

      • Rob says:

        28 Nov28 November 16:02

        Yeah right.

        Why don’t you go off and do some research into what these things cost? When I did this on lateral flow tests, I couldn’t get them below £2 even if I bought 10,000 at once. Clearly a PCR costs more to manufacture and needs to be analysed.

      • Andy says:

        28 Nov28 November 16:45

        No click and collect tests available for the next month. Shame, not bothered if it works or not, but would have satisfied the need for an order number to put on the PLF

      • TGLoyalty says:

        28 Nov28 November 18:37

        @Rob not sure why a PCR costs more to manufacture. It’s a swab and a tube.

        It’s about the processing.

        No doubt any 89p tests are actually data mining and selling your details to whoever will pay and perhaps even your dna.

        • Rob says:

          28 Nov28 November 21:13

          There are no tests. It is done to get to the top of the Govt list.

      • Mike says:

        28 Nov28 November 21:33

        Hey that is a reasonable price to protect public health

• Joe says:

  28 Nov28 November 14:33

  Paid and booked lateral test for 2days after I return from Mexico 2nd Dec. Is this still valid

  • Rob says:

    28 Nov28 November 15:12

    No

• Matthew says:

  28 Nov28 November 15:23

  Anyone knows, what’s the situation with children? Do they have to be tested as well?

  • TGLoyalty says:

    28 Nov28 November 15:39

    It would be wise to assume if the needed a day 2 LFT then they’ll need a pcr instead.

    • Matthew says:

      28 Nov28 November 15:44

      I’d be more interested in exemptions- are under twelves still not required to take a test?

      • Rob says:

        28 Nov28 November 17:12

        U12’s had to do a lateral flow and a PCR last year so I very much doubt they will be exempt.

        U5’s should be OK.

  • Rob says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:01

    Probably. This was the rule previously – my 10 year old had to do PCR tests and more recently lateral flow tests. I think the cut-off was 5 years?

• David says:

  28 Nov28 November 15:25

  Cheapest Lateral Flow currently?
  (Arriving Monday afternoon just before requirements change)

  • HH says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:38

    Nationwide Pathology was £14.99 and no issues getting the code.

    • David says:

      28 Nov28 November 18:00

      Thanks

• Nick says:

  28 Nov28 November 15:42

  Anyone know of day 2 PCR test at Heathrow or in London that gives same day results? Expresstest only offer the 3hr turn-around for ‘Fit-to-Fly’ with no code for PLF

  • Rob says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:00

    Give ExpressTest time – the first they heard about this was 5pm yesterday.

    • Nick says:

      28 Nov28 November 18:05

      Many thanks Rob – fingers crossed!

  • Rob says:

    28 Nov28 November 17:13

    Give them time …

    • Polly says:

      29 Nov29 November 17:21

      Yes, relying on them to come up trumps if we decide to do the 3 hr PCR on arrival

• G says:

  28 Nov28 November 16:26

  I’m really struggling on the clarity of one thing…the PCR test can be done as late as day 2. So if I have guests visiting the U.K. for say 5 days, they can freely roam around on day 0, day 1 and day 2 up until they do the test? And then they self isolate while awaiting the result on day 2. But up until that point they do not have to isolate? It doesn’t seem to make any sense if the idea is to stop virus spread but this sounds like it is how it works.

  • Scott says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:31

    You’re supposed to self isolate after you enter the UK, and until a negative result.
    If you enter Tues, you isolate.
    If you take the test on Thurs, you are expected to still be isolating from Tuesday until the result comes through, which could be late Friday.

    Whether anyone will check beyond a phonecall, no idea.

    • Andy says:

      28 Nov28 November 16:48

      When we arrived back from Portugal in the summer we had 2 visits. The first one was from the guy who delivered our Morrisons order the day before

    • Roy says:

      28 Nov28 November 19:19

      I really don’t understand why they insist on calling it a day 2 test, when you’d be crazy to take it on day 2 rather than day 1 (or day 0 if logistics allow) since delaying means unnecessarily prolonging your self-isolation.

      • Paul Pogba says:

        28 Nov28 November 21:25

        I assume it’s meant to be undertaken on Day 2 (and not Day 0 or 1) so as to allow the viral load to build up to sufficient levels to be detected. If you do it on Day 0 you may as well not bother.

        • TGLoyalty says:

          28 Nov28 November 21:44

          No it’s just before day 2.

        • Roy says:

          28 Nov28 November 21:48

          Maybe that was the original intention at some point in the distant past, but that’s not how it’s worked in the recent past, not how it will work from Tuesday (as far as we understand at the moment).

          You have to take it some time between arrival and the end of day 2.

      • Paul Pogba says:

        28 Nov28 November 21:36

        I’m wrong – it says “on or before day 2” apologies.

  • Can says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:39

    No you self isolate until you get a negative result. It is then in your best interest to take the test asap

  • TGLoyalty says:

    28 Nov28 November 16:53

    Doesn’t make any sense because you completely mis read the rules

    Enter the U.K. and self isolate at all times until you get your result. Not just between taking the test and getting a result.

  • Mike says:

    28 Nov28 November 21:35

    G – nope your guests must self isolate from arrival to results of the test !! And if they are your guests they must self isolate from you

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