UK introduces pre-departure Covid tests from Tuesday 7th

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• Terwri says:

  5 Dec5 December 14:48

  Really stressing now as its proving difficult to find a lateral flow test provider with certificate and appointments in the area. And without US id I cant fill the booking form. Aaargh

  • Will in SFO says:

    5 Dec5 December 18:09

    1. Try a walk in and explain the situation- if no luck try the next pharmacy

    2. Look up to see if the local county health authority have a free testing site- most do.

    3. Check out the testing options at your departure airport- some offer testing like at LHR

    4. Check local hospital groups- most on the West Coast offer testing.

    • Terwri says:

      6 Dec6 December 05:15

      Thanks.
      1 Ive booked a drive through at Walgreens tomorrow but had to use the MIL zip code. Will see if that works.
      2 Collier county doesnt seem to have
      3 RSW has no preflight tests
      4 back up plan
      Aargh

• AS says:

  5 Dec5 December 18:37

  Would a Qured certificate get me out of Dubai on an Emirates flight back to the UK? I know BA recognise it, but it is a UK company. Will the Emirates check in desk recognise a non UAE testing centre, or will they just shrug their shoulders and give me a blank look

  • Blenz101 says:

    5 Dec5 December 18:43

    They will recognise it provided it meets the entry requirements to the U.K. They deal with huge numbers of connecting passengers daily who may go into the city and will be presenting certificates in many formats.

    • AS says:

      5 Dec5 December 19:15

      Thanks Blenz

  • Rob says:

    5 Dec5 December 19:34

    This is purely down to whether Emirates has stricter requirements than the UK Government for flying to the UK.

    • Blenz101 says:

      5 Dec5 December 22:14

      Emirates don’t, they just go with the rules of Dubai inbound and the arriving country outbound.

      Etihad and Abu Dhabi have not acted as “one UAE” needing PCR tests and green lists etc. but AS is fine in Dubai.

    • Ian says:

      6 Dec6 December 07:30

      Not too sure what it has to do with Emirates?

      Surely all they will check and indeed any airport in the world, is do you have the required paperwork for the destination.

      • Sukes says:

        6 Dec6 December 15:50

        Airlines can mandate their own requirements that are more stringent than country entry requirements. As an example, Etihad requires negative pcr for any flight on its network.

• Chris says:

  5 Dec5 December 20:34

  If flight to U.K. is at 2pm on 15th December and I take a lateral test at 8am on 13th will it be accepted or not?

  • Rob says:

    5 Dec5 December 21:12

    Yes. Wording is 2 days on gov.uk which means any time on 13th.

    • MT says:

      6 Dec6 December 03:47

      Do I read it correctly that if you have a connecting flight then it’s 48 hours prior to the departure of the flight that touches down in the UK?

    • Nerock says:

      7 Dec7 December 09:28

      It’s a massive shame however BBC even today says requirement for pre departure test is to be taken within 48 hours contrary to gov.uk saying previous 2 days.. it’s an outrage editors at the biggest UK state media are unable to read..

• Tierney says:

  5 Dec5 December 21:49

  What happens regarding pre-departure from US and 2 day PCR in UK for arrival 2nd Jan if a child has recently recovered from COVID? Cannot find any info about this anywhere.

• athruna says:

  6 Dec6 December 00:45

  I’m in the US at the moment. We’ll be in Los Angeles 48 hours before our flight and San Diego 24 hours before. Any suggestion on where to get a test from?

  • Stuart says:

    6 Dec6 December 03:01

    You can get emed to deliver a box of 6 tests for $150. Then download the Novica App to book a test.
    I was going to do this myself but have found a drive through testing service in La Vegas that issues a certifacte and QR Code.

    • roberto says:

      6 Dec6 December 05:32

      Also in Vegas atm.. Onpoint have a 30 min $59 offer currently if that makes better sense than the Binax option.

      • Stuart says:

        6 Dec6 December 12:46

        Roberto – Let me know how that goes please. Thats who I’m booked with. No pepayment required was a surpise!

      • athruna says:

        6 Dec6 December 14:57

        Thanks for info. Super useful. Now booked with OnPoint for a drive-through test at LA airport.

        • Stuart says:

          9 Dec9 December 05:24

          I had a call from Onpoint in Vegas today. I had a test scheduled with them for Friday but they called to tell me they’d run out of testing kits and the site was now closed!!!

• Terwri says:

  6 Dec6 December 21:36

  If anyone is in SWFlorida and struggling to find a test for return to the UK – Express Pharmacy, North Naples near the NCH hospital. $125 for a rapid antigen test. 😳. Done and cert inside 15 mins

  • Stuart says:

    7 Dec7 December 00:39

    I’ve just bought two Ellume Covid Tests from a CVS Pharmacy in Houston for $29. A video consultantion is an additional $20, but it’s 24/7. I’m going to give this a shot on Friday morning and see how it goes, apparently it’s certified for travel. If it doesn’t do what it says on the box, I’ll carry on with my OnPoint test later that day, before flying home PM Sunday.

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