UK introduces pre-departure Covid tests from Tuesday 7th

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• Sarah says:

  4 Dec4 December 20:55

  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england

  • Andrew says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:05

    As expected, no mention of the test needing to be supervised. Just as it was in the summer.

    • Scott says:

      4 Dec4 December 21:16

      How to provide proof of a negative test result
      Proof for EU residents or citizens
      If you are an EU resident or citizen, you can use the EU Digital Covid Certificate (EU-DCC) to provide proof of your test result. This can be in either digital or paper format.

      If you are not an EU resident or citizen, you cannot use the EU-DCC to provide proof of your test result.

      Proof for non-EU residents and citizens
      You must provide the original test result notification. Your test result must be in either English, French or Spanish. Translations will not be accepted.

      Your test result can be provided as:

      a printed document
      an email or text message you can show on your phone – make sure your device is charged
      It must include the following information:

      your name, which should match the name on your travel documents
      your date of birth or age
      the result of the test
      the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider
      the name of the test provider and their contact details
      confirmation of the device used for the test, or that the test was a PCR test

      How are you supposed to prove proof of the test? Scan a barcode on the test into the NHS app?

      • Blenz101 says:

        4 Dec4 December 21:20

        It tells you right in the text you copied and pasted

        • Scott says:

          4 Dec4 December 21:28

          Everything seems to give the impression someone has to do it for you and then send you the results, so what Andrew said about an unsupervised test would be wrong?

        • Blenz101 says:

          4 Dec4 December 21:34

          You need to have your results certified. Last summer test providers were offering to certify a photo of a LFT result they had provided. Was clearly not in the spirit of things as the photo didn’t link the test to the person being certified.

        • Danny says:

          5 Dec5 December 18:54

          @Blenz where are you seeing that it needs to be certified? From what I can see in gov.uk AND in the actual legislation there’s nothing stopping you doing your own test as long as you email yourself the fact that it’s negative, DOB, test provider name, etc etc. Genuine question, there’s a lot of legislation I might have missed it!

      • Andrew says:

        4 Dec4 December 21:52

        Collinson offered two options – one supervised with video or a cheaper unsupervised one which everyone used. The certificates were identical and fully accepted by airlines at checkin. I don’t see anything to suggest this won’t be the case again.

        • Scott says:

          4 Dec4 December 22:03

          What happened there? Do you send a picture of the test to them to get the certificate?

        • Scott says:

          4 Dec4 December 22:11

          To my own question, yes you do. Around £19.50 for the test, but they say allow at least 4 working days for it to arrive at my address.
          I’m in London on Thursday so no idea if it would make it.
          Not sure if you can collect one (although I need 2 as 2 trips without me returning home)

• Grimz says:

  4 Dec4 December 20:59

  Chronomics offered me an upgrade for £25 from an antigen test to a PCR for my return to the UK from the USA. I already purchased 3 x £75 PCR tests after the rules changed so I hope Chronomics honour a refund for the tests I did not require.

  • Ls says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:36

    There should be no requirement for them to give a refund – they are still prepared to provide the service, and indeed offered you an upgrade to a different service. Sorry b

• Freddy says:

  4 Dec4 December 20:59

  Can’t wait for Rob’s follow up review at centre parcs

  • Geoff 1977 says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:33

    🤣

• Lee says:

  4 Dec4 December 21:18

  From Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance:
  Your cover while you’re away
  You’re covered for emergency medical costs abroad. This includes additional transport and accommodation costs if you need treatment or your return home is delayed due to having to quarantine because of the coronavirus on your trip.

  Dose that mean you will be covered for all quarantine cost if you or your family tested positive for pre-departure?

  • GeorgeJ says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:31

    The extract you have given relates to cover whilst travelling.

    It does not cover disruption due to catching cover before travel. If you have such cover it would be under disruption and/or cancellation due to a medical event. Anyway there is unlikely to be pre departure “quarantine” cost since you will simply be expected to quarantine at home (or be in hospital).

    • Lee says:

      4 Dec4 December 21:38

      Sorry not to be clear, I mean tested positive for pre-departure back to UK.

      • GeorgeJ says:

        4 Dec4 December 22:07

        Lee, What it says seems to indicate you are covered, however its usually good to give them a call to confirm before you go. The devil is in the detail with insurance and it is the detailed policy document that counts, not the summary or some marketing spiel.

• Pete says:

  4 Dec4 December 21:25

  Is a Lateral Flow the same as an Anti Gen?

  • Sandgrounder says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:44

    It’s a type of antigen/rapid test

• Babyg says:

  4 Dec4 December 21:31

  This is to stop colins/karens flying infected and then transiting/transmitting all and sundry before flying to Cancun.

  • GeorgeJ says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:37

    You are mistaken, it neither stops them nor hinders them. Colin travelled from a red list country and was required to have a PCR test to get on the plane to Europe. Now everyone has to follow his best practice (is this levelling up in practice).
    It is whatever the Mexico government imposes that determines who enters Mexico, not that muppet Shapps or anyone else in Whitehall.

    • Babyg says:

      4 Dec4 December 22:28

      ah yes, i stand corrected, its impossible to keep up with the torrie tango/hokey tokey test in/test out shake it all about.. Colins/karens would be unaffected…

  • BuildBackBetter says:

    5 Dec5 December 11:12

    Would be funny if Mexico gets added to red list.

• Spurs drive me mad says:

  4 Dec4 December 21:48

  Look at Richard E Grants Twitter page he’s in a quarantine hotel in Gatwick.
  I don’t blame Colin for going to Mexico.

  • GeorgeJ says:

    4 Dec4 December 22:09

    Yes a friend sent me a photo of his arrival at LHR for quarantine yesterday, it was like an invite to a super spreader event. Total chaos and lack of organisation.

    • Novelty-Socks says:

      4 Dec4 December 22:46

      This is a tangent but I just misinterpreted this as your friend having been present at Richard E Grant’s arrival and him being mobbed by crowds.

      (Side note: I once saw him in the first class United lounge in T2, when that was still a thing. Richard E Grant, not your friend.)

      • Terwri says:

        5 Dec5 December 01:32

        I saw him in Petersham nurseries in Richmond once 🤣

• HH says:

  4 Dec4 December 21:56

  So for my week-long Mauritius trip this month, I now need:
  – PCR test pre-departure to MRU
  – Day 0 antigen test (Mauritius)
  – Day 5 antigen test (Mauritius)
  – Antigen test pre-departure to LHR
  – Day 2 PCR test (UK)

  It doesn’t feel like much of a vacation, does it?

  • Geoff 1977 says:

    4 Dec4 December 21:59

    Depends what you’re doing in the week that you’re in Mauritius

  • Babyg says:

    4 Dec4 December 22:31

    #Metoo Abu Dhabi
    – PCR test pre-departure to DXB
    – PCR test for F1 (valid for 96 hours)
    – PCR test for F1 (valid for 96 hours)
    – Antigen test pre-departure to LHR
    – Day 2 PCR test (UK)
    all those sticks up my nose arent great..

  • john says:

    4 Dec4 December 22:54

    Can you not use day5 test and pre-departure as the same test?

    • Andrew says:

      4 Dec4 December 23:04

      Yes

    • HH says:

      4 Dec4 December 23:49

      Depends whether they issue a sufficient certificate…the Mauritius Day 0/5 tests are administered by the hotels (and Shangri-La even said they would be free), so may need something more official that meets UK pre-departure paperwork requirements.

  • Tracey says:

    4 Dec4 December 23:15

    Also planning Mauritius this month, just seen that Germany have put Mauritius on their equivalent of a nearly red list, France have put it on their red list; getting to the point where I cancel and book elsewhere.

    • meta says:

      4 Dec4 December 23:51

      You’re better off cancelling Mauritius anyway weather is not that great from the third week onwards…

    • HH says:

      5 Dec5 December 00:04

      I mean Germany also added Switzerland and Poland to their list, so I’m not reading too much into it. I also understand France is reviewing Mauritius’ scarlet status – it was linked to an Omicron case that originated from Reunion and travelled via Mauritius. Officially (and I’m beyond skeptical), Mauritius remains Omicron-free, which should keep it off our red list… Let’s see how long they can maintain that party line.

  • Tracy Regan says:

    5 Dec5 December 08:59

    We’re already in Mauritius and trying to work out how we get a test, the results and comply with the 48hrs before departure requirement when the flight’s at 21.25 on Saturday.

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