Why are most 3 hour ‘rapid PCR’ tests NOT valid for UK arrivals testing?

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• Barry B says:

  1 Dec1 December 19:09

  I’m arriving LHR Term 2 on Dec 9 1030am. Plan on taking Day 2 test at Express Test Term 2. Any idea on when I should book appt time, 2 hrs after landing, or 3, 4, 5. I’ve heard horror stories about Term 5.
  Any suggestions would be appreciated

  • Nick says:

    1 Dec1 December 21:44

    Doesn’t matter, they’ll accept you later in the day if your flight is late. With the current shitshow of BA timekeeping almost nothing arrives on time anyway so they have to be flexible. You give them your flight number during booking so if they really wanted they could track and adjust.

• Worksop Dave says:

  1 Dec1 December 20:00

  Getting made redundant from my job in travel last year was a blessing in disguise as the industry is screwed for the foreseeable future.

  Forecasts of a recovery in 2024 seemed pessimistic at the time but now they seem realistic.

  • Polly says:

    2 Dec2 December 02:01

    Hope you managed to get another decent job in the meantime. Still a blow being made redundant. I still remember the day Dan Air collapsed and we were all given our P45s. Missed it so much.

    • Worksop Dave says:

      2 Dec2 December 09:11

      I found another job but yes as you said it was still a blow at the time (even though it was obvious for months that it was coming)

• Lewis says:

  2 Dec2 December 06:36

  The government advice is to take a PCR test (that shouldn’t be booked through the NHS) upon arrival in England, within 48 hours of arrival. I’m struggling to find on government pages where it states exactly what type of PCR test is required and why some are suitable and others aren’t (such as a F2F). If the government state ‘PCR’ it means PCR, regardless of sequencing, test procedure or any other science based operation behind the scene, a PCR test is still a PCR test.
  Where is it stated that a PCR Fit to fly test cannot be used?

  • Danny says:

    2 Dec2 December 10:31

    The Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel and Operator Liability) (England) Regulations 2021, Schedule 8, Paragraph 6

    • Danny says:

      2 Dec2 December 10:39

      It’s theoretically possible that some departure tests match those requirements, in which case the limiting factor is that those tests wouldn’t provide you with a valid number to add to your PLF, which the gov advice says you have to do

      • Danny M says:

        7 Dec7 December 00:21

        I agree, I could not find anywhere on the government website that said a specific type of PCR test is required. I was going to book a fit to fly PCR test w/ 3hr results… However expresstest.Co.Uk told me that fit to fly test does not provide the booking code required to complete the passenger locator form before you fly.

• Mark says:

  3 Dec3 December 01:18

  I’ve seen the term ‘rapid PCR’ banded around as a term for many tests when actually what they’re doing is a LAMP test which can be done much quicker (90 mins or so). The latter cannot be sequenced but is a type of nucleic acid amplification test and so is used interchangeably (and incorrectly). This is what’s done in Barbados upon arrival for example (or was earlier this year).

• Ann says:

  3 Dec3 December 07:57

  We are due to fly to Orlando 11.12. BBC has just announced that new Covid travel rules state Covid testing 24 hours ahead of travel yet CDC website states 1 day. Am flying at 10 in the morning so wanted to test day before at 7.30.am Is that ok? Also CDC states Covid viral test. Can that be an antigen or has to be a PCR?

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