Covid restrictions abroad: updates & observations

[Cdd89]

All this testing is so complicated. I have a week off work in October and would love to go somewhere but I’m just not clever enough to work out how to. Probably end up in Yorkshire or something.

Choose a destination that doesn’t require testing on their end (that’s most of the EU).

For returning to the U.K. choose a remote rapid test (“C19 Testing” is entirely unsupervised; you just upload a photo of the result) to take in the 3 days before the day you return, and choose the cheapest “day 2” rapid test provider from the government list. And don’t do it too long in advance in case the requirements change (hopefully loosen).

It’s a total waste of £70, but it’s not that complicated. I’ve done it multiple times now. It’s also a lot cheaper than when I flew back in February where all the testing alone cost nearly £500!

 

[Mintona]

Choose a destination that doesn’t require testing on their end (that’s most of the EU).

For returning to the U.K. choose a remote rapid test (“C19 Testing” is entirely unsupervised; you just upload a photo of the result) to take in the 3 days before the day you return, and choose the cheapest “day 2” rapid test provider from the government list. And don’t do it too long in advance in case the requirements change (hopefully loosen).

It’s a total waste of £70, but it’s not that complicated. I’ve done it multiple times now. It’s also a lot cheaper than when I flew back in February where all the testing alone cost nearly £500!

Thanks. Portugal is favourite destination. I don’t know what a remote rapid test is or where I upload a photo. It just seems a lot of faff.

 

[Butts]

I think the testing on arrival back in the UK will be streamlined or abolished for the Fully Vaccinated in the next review at the end of the Month.

 

[Cdd89]

I think the testing on arrival back in the UK will be streamlined or abolished for the Fully Vaccinated in the next review at the end of the Month.

The only thing that might prevent it is pride at how wonderful our sequencing is. That aside, I have to agree with you. Everyone will be noting that they need 0 tests to go abroad and 2 to come back. It’s not politically sustainable.

 

[Butts]

The only thing that might prevent it is pride at how wonderful our sequencing is. That aside, I have to agree with you. Everyone will be noting that they need 0 tests to go abroad and 2 to come back. It’s not politically sustainable.

What is it about 5% that are actually sequenced ?

 

[Cdd89]

What is it about 5% that are actually sequenced ?

All positive day2 results, I believe.

 

[Butts]

All positive day2 results, I believe.

How do they know you've actually taken the test, is it open to abuse or manipulation ?

 

[johncrossley]

It’s not appropriate for NHS resources to be used to fund discretionary travel.

So scrap these unnecessary tests. The EU countries seem to be happy for vaccinated visitors to arrive without getting tested, even Ireland which up to a few weeks ago was super strict.

How do they know you've actually taken the test, is it open to abuse or manipulation ?

They don't. It is absolutely open to abuse. Makes the whole thing even more pointless.

 

[LAX54]

The only thing that might prevent it is pride at how wonderful our sequencing is. That aside, I have to agree with you. Everyone will be noting that they need 0 tests to go abroad and 2 to come back. It’s not politically sustainable.

It also does not make any sense whatsoever !

 

[nw1]

It also does not make any sense whatsoever !

Sense? The Government of 'Boris'? Since when has that been expected?

Still, if it causes them to take a hit in the opinion polls, I suspect it will change.

 

[Cdd89]

I came across Gridpoint Consulting's blog which is full of interesting articles about the UK's travel restrictions/policy which I have spent quite a long time reading. Of particular interest was the recent article entitled "The true cost of travel test packages" where the author has painstakingly gone through countless test providers. They are scathing about Shapps' claims that tests are relatively cheap:

Grant Shapps has been downplaying the cost of testing, claiming that competition from testing providers is driving down prices. Given what we have seen about the real world cost of tests, his reference to £4.95 tests in his statement to Parliament shows that he is either totally divorced from reality, or deliberately trying to mislead. Or both.

As a result of this research:

All positive day2 results, I believe.

I must apologise to @Butts as this statement I made above was entirely incorrect! The actual figure is 6% of positive international results, close to the 5% quoted above. Which is quite a good case for dismantling international travel testing system given that we could simply test a random 6% of arrivals and sequence 100% of those positives instead.

 

[londonteacher]

Does anyone know about entry requirements for Germany? The foreign office website says that if you are vaccinated you don't need to quarantine is this true? Looking at planning a night away next week!

 

[Jamiescott1]

Does anyone know about entry requirements for Germany? The foreign office website says that if you are vaccinated you don't need to quarantine is this true? Looking at planning a night away next week!

Yep that's true. You need to complete a pre-entry form and upload proof of vaccines to the form.
I'm going Saturday

 

[YorkshireBear]

Yep that's true. You need to complete a pre-entry form and upload proof of vaccines to the form.
I'm going Saturday

Excellent would be interested to hear what it is like as I have a few autumn Germany trips pencilled in.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Excellent would be interested to hear what it is like as I have a few autumn Germany trips pencilled in.

For the 2 people interesting in going to Germany.
Proof of vaccine and pre entry form checked by ryanair before departure.
On arrival in Germany, passports checked (and a few other details for my partner who is a UK resident but Canadian citizen) and no covid info checked.
Surgical masks have to be worn on public transport (they're very uncomfortable) - was surprised to see quite a few people just in normal face coverings.
Went for dinner tonight in a beer garden. No covid restrictions at all. - but its just night 1 and we haven't eaten inside yet so can update later in the week

 

[Peterthegreat]

Choose a destination that doesn’t require testing on their end (that’s most of the EU).

For returning to the U.K. choose a remote rapid test (“C19 Testing” is entirely unsupervised; you just upload a photo of the result) to take in the 3 days before the day you return, and choose the cheapest “day 2” rapid test provider from the government list. And don’t do it too long in advance in case the requirements change (hopefully loosen).

It’s a total waste of £70, but it’s not that complicated. I’ve done it multiple times now. It’s also a lot cheaper than when I flew back in February where all the testing alone cost nearly £500!

​

Information that the test result must include​

Your test result must be in either English, French or Spanish. Translations will not be accepted.

You must provide the original test result notification. 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

If the test result does not include this information you may not be able to board, and may not be able to travel to England. If you arrive without a test result that includes this information, you might have to pay a £500 fine.

How to provide proof of a negative test result​

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

Sorry but your statement regarding "taking a photo" does not seem to meet the government's requirements for returning to the UK.

 

[Cdd89]

your statement regarding "taking a photo" does not seem to meet the government's requirements for returning to the UK.

I’m not sure which of those requirements above a self-administered test, verified with a photo by an intermediary who emails you to confirm the result, fails to meet.

 

[Peterthegreat]

I’m not sure which of those requirements above a self-administered test, verified with a photo by an intermediary who emails you to confirm the result, fails to meet.

Sorry I may be a bit on the thick side with this but I interpreted a remote test as one you do on your own and it lights up green or whatever. Would you mind explaining a bit more what this entails please?

 

[Cdd89]

Sorry, my post wasn’t very clear.

There are now a number of companies who will sell you a rapid test for you to take with you to your destination; you take the test at your convenience and upload a photo of the result, and in return they send you a certificate.

Qured, Chronomics and C19 Testing are the ones I have used. Qured want a video call in addition to the photo (which can be useful if your destination says the test must be supervised), the other two are happy with just a photo.

 

[Peterthegreat]

Sorry, my post wasn’t very clear.

There are now a number of companies who will sell you a rapid test for you to take with you to your destination; you take the test at your convenience and upload a photo of the result, and in return they send you a certificate.

Qured, Chronomics and C19 Testing are the ones I have used. Qured want a video call in addition to the photo (which can be useful if your destination says the test must be supervised), the other two are happy with just a photo.

Excellent. Much clearer. thanks very much!

 

[317666]

According to the website of the Austrian embassy in London, as of yesterday fully-vaccinated people may now enter Austria from the UK for any reason without needing to self-isolate. The UK Government site has yet to be updated though and still says it's illegal to enter without a good reason!

 

[Smidster]

According to the website of the Austrian embassy in London, as of yesterday fully-vaccinated people may now enter Austria from the UK for any reason without needing to self-isolate. The UK Government site has yet to be updated though and still says it's illegal to enter without a good reason!

Although you will have to be careful with Austria as your vaccine is only valid for 270 days to avoid quarantine

Shouldn't impact many for a while but probably a sign of what is to come in terms of future restrictions

 

[Butts]

Should it be pretty galling to Brits that Americans are being allowed into this Country without any reciprocal agreement for us going there ?

Also even in normal times we need an ESTA which they don't for travelling here.

 

[nw1]

Should it be pretty galling to Brits that Americans are being allowed into this Country without any reciprocal agreement for us going there ?

Also even in normal times we need an ESTA which they don't for travelling here.

First of all - and to be absolutely clear - I don't have any problems with Americans coming here.

However, it seems nonsense, as USA has Covid as well as Europe (I think it's the whole of the world outside North America they're worried about - is that correct?). But then you have Sweden apparently restricting entry to EU countries (mentioned in another thread), which seems a nonsense as well.

Sadly there seems to be the attitude in a lot of countries that foreigners are more likely to have the virus. If it was countries singling out the UK due to the delta mutation, that's one thing (though still avoidable with testing) - but restricting entry to EU countries only seems almost like a form of xenophobia - like Brexit in reverse (from a remainer point of view, which I am personally).

Although you will have to be careful with Austria as your vaccine is only valid for 270 days to avoid quarantine

Shouldn't impact many for a while but probably a sign of what is to come in terms of future restrictions

"Future restrictions" sounds worrying. This has got to stop at some point, right? Even after the 1918 Spanish flu, I don't believe there were draconian travel restrictions throughout the 1920s - at least beyond whatever the norm for that time was.

 

[Cdd89]

Should it be pretty galling to Brits that Americans are being allowed into this Country without any reciprocal agreement for us going there ?

That depends on the outcome you want, and whether you’re invested in being able to visit the U.S.

The current policy, mirrored by almost all western countries including their closest neighbours, makes them look isolated and stupid for keeping their own borders closed. Until bigger topics took over the news cycle, Biden was getting daily questions on it.

I don’t think closing our borders to Americans would make the U.S. open theirs sooner. Rather, it would vindicate their position that allowing travel is unsafe, removing some of that domestic pressure.

The other factor is that our policy directly affects lives and must be justifiable in terms of public health, and enforcing reciprocity affects people who become pawns in a negotiating position. There are other ways to exert political pressure (if we were to prioritise this), alongside the EU (whose interests are aligned with ours), that don’t needlessly break up families.

 

[Bikeman78]

"Future restrictions" sounds worrying. This has got to stop at some point, right? Even after the 1918 Spanish flu, I don't believe there were draconian travel restrictions throughout the 1920s - at least beyond whatever the norm for that time was.

There would have been less international travel of course but I bet they didn't have relentless testing. Also of course there was no social media or TV.

 

[kevin_roche]

I have just been looking at the requirements for going to the Netherlands and it says you must have a Coivid Pass with your Full Name as on your passport. The NHS Covid Pass does not have my middle name. Has anyone any experience of if this is a problem?

 

[Cdd89]

I have just been looking at the requirements for going to the Netherlands and it says you must have a Coivid Pass with your Full Name as on your passport. The NHS Covid Pass does not have my middle name. Has anyone any experience of if this is a problem?

It wasn’t a problem for me when I went q couple of weeks ago, and my app doesn’t show my full name. However at the moment you do still have to isolate (can be at home) if coming from the U.K., with a free test to release on day 5, unless you qualify for an exemption (which are quite wide).

 

[kevin_roche]

It wasn’t a problem for me when I went q couple of weeks ago, and my app doesn’t show my full name. However at the moment you do still have to isolate (can be at home) if coming from the U.K., with a free test to release on day 5, unless you qualify for an exemption (which are quite wide).

Thank you. I'm not sure when I will go yet, but I'm just investigating the feasibility. I may go somewhere else first.

 

[Jamiescott1]

Just had my test for return to the uk.
That's my 4th covid test to enter my own country, and thankfully all negative.
Has anybody here done their "fit to fly" test to enter the UK and tested positive?