Amber country return - no checks?!

[porkincider]

I came back from Portugal on Wednesday 9th after a booked holiday. I flew out when it was green, it got demoted to amber, I couldn’t change flights so had to self isolate on return.

On flying out I had to show negative PCR test and fill in a Madeira Safe form (similar to our UK passenger locator form). The staff UK side checked very quickly to make sure I had the paperwork but on arrival in Madeira all the QR codes that came with the paperwork were checked to ensure they were genuine, photocopies of passports made and all logged on officially on the Madeira Safe form.

On return again the staff at Madeira airport checked I had it all ready to show on arrival but it’s for the UK government rather than theirs so I expected it to be check when I landed in London. On landing I went straight through passport control, no checks to see if I had my PCR certificate, didn’t even ask if I’d had it abd didn’t ask if I’d filled in my passenger locator form and check it matched my passport details or driving license.

I’ve now been back over a week and have had my day 2 and day 7 test that I booked and paid for but I have had zero phone calls or visits to check that I’m where I said I would be, no one has asked me to link the tests to the locator form. My boyfriend who came with me received an email on day 1 but that was it.

I’m hearing some people are being called every day and getting home visits to check that they’re not breaking curfew. Why are checks still not being done. I could’ve caught CV on holiday and no one is checking my whereabouts at all. It’s all bonkers.

@Franklin12

My relative told the agent she couldn’t get one. This was a while ago though and he then said you can go out for food and essentials such as medical appt. I am fully jabbed and have elderly parents. If anything happens to them there is NO way I am staying at home,

If you're going to go to an amber county, at least bloody well follow the rules when you get back home. Supermarket deliveries are freely available, just be organised.

Consider yourself lucky OP. My friends, who had to return to this country from Malta, had a hideous time, calls every day that were read from a script and if you gave a slightly different answer than they were expecting they couldn't cope, they did test to release on day 5, all passed, but were STILL getting the flipping calls for days afterwards.

@Franklin12

Thank you all. I can explain quite happily my situation. My DH is the same. Does anyone know about the food side of things? Relative was definitely told they would rather she didn’t go to supermarket but if she really needed to she was allowed. They are hardly going to say no starve....

The rules are laid out chapter and verse here:

www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

Fundamentally you should only break isolation to avoid harm..

As far as shopping goes.."You must not go shopping. If you need help buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, you should ask friends or relatives or order a delivery or ask for help from NHS Volunteer Responders."

I got back from an amber country on the 8th June.
They checked my covid test results at passport control and I had calls everyday from track and trace until day 6 when I confirmed that I received negative results from test to release. After that they phoned me I think only once more to confirm that I still need to do day 8 test.
No one ever came to physically check that have been isolating and I am not sure whether my results have been shared with them in any way. They never knew which test I am due, which provider I used and what was the result..

I'm going to be in this situation in a couple of weeks, and am curious about our home situation - I wonder if there's any way I can clarify?

We live in a 70s house in a row of 8 and have a garage block at the end of the row, about 30m from our front door. I've got lots of food in the freezer which is in the garage to see us through the quarantine period. The garage and my house are my private property, the area in between is private I.e. not public but shared between the 8 houses. I'm worried I'll get in trouble if someone calls at the door and I've gone to the freezer! I'd obviously only be a couple of minutes, and DH will be wfh so he could answer. I've also told the neighbours so they know not to try and stop us for a chat if they see us.

Nah @HJ40 - no one can stop you from going to an outbuilding belonging to your house and the chances of someone knocking on the door in the 5 mins it takes are minuscule!

DH and I were called individually, sometimes on the landline, sometimes on mobile number, usually between 11am and 3 pm and no, you are not allowed out for food shopping. I booked a delivery in advance.