To ask if you can fake a negative lateral flow test?

[imperialminty]

Just wondering - I’m travelling next week and doing one of those “observed” travel tests via a video call on my phone.

I can’t really get my head around this system… how do they know I’ve done it properly? My Mum who I’m travelling with is convinced people will be able to pretend to rub the swab round their nose but surely it’s not that easy?

Has anyone done one and can say how it works?

Because hopefully people aren't utter idiots and don't want to get stuck on a cruise boat like they did at the start of the pandemic.

I'm not sure there's much to be gained from learning how it's done... 🤔

I think I was wondering if there was a failsafe way they used to make sure you were doing it properly, but it seems like some do that and others don’t!

I think they can only watch you really.

We did a video call test in May to travel to the USA we could easy of cheated as they had all 4 of us on the call but could only see one at a time we didn’t cheat but easy enough too

If it's done using a video call, you coul potentially put down a clean swab on the table. Use one to swab your nose and swap the used with the clean one, surely the camera doesn't pick up the whole room. I suppose unless you're doing it in front of a professional none of the results are ever really 100% kosher. It's down to each person to do the responsible thing.

Good luck on your cruise OP!

@Oceanus ah, thank you! We’re calling it my “hen do” as we’re going away before I get married in the autumn, I’m so excited!

Friends went on a SAGA cruise last year. Everyone had to do both LFT and PCR test on arrival at the terminal. They weren't allowed on board until the LFT showed negative - and one couple were turned away because their taxi driver tested positive. When the PCR results came in, about 25 people who had boarded tested positive. They were moved to a quarantine area of the ship, and disembarked at the next port (I'm not sure of the arrangements at that point - hotel quarantine, presumably). Testing continued throughout the cruise, with more people quarantined and then disembarked at each port. My friends were fortunate enough not to get it until the last leg, which meant they made it home.
Their port visits were changed, and they could only do the organised excursions, which presumably minimised the chances of picking covid up from the locals.

Read it properly for goodness sake 🙄

Plus anyone could catch it between the test itself and boarding the ship. It is not a fail safe.

Yes this. I tested positive on daily lfts for about a week as did both my kids and I was getting instant strong positives just lightly brushing the area just inside the nostril.