2 and 8 day testing. What a joke.

[MrsSchadenfreude]

Sent my 2 day test off, got the results very late the following day - they had received the test in the morning, and I got the result in the middle of the night. Expected similar for 8 day testing, found a priority post box that had a Sunday collection. Test was sent 24 hour priority with Royal Mail. Tracked it, yes, collected on the Sunday, was then sent to Croydon for some reason, where it sat until the Thursday. Got the results on the Saturday night - so nearly a week later, and by which time I had flown home.

The test company said that I was free to go after 10 days self isolation, but the government website said I should continue to self isolate until receiving a negative result. As I’d come back for a funeral and a hospital appointment I went to them and then flew home. But I’d paid £150 for these tests, which were essentially useless. Company don’t want to know and are (rightly) blaming Royal Mail. Fortunately I’ve been vaccinated and both tests were negative.

I understood it was 10 day isolation

Results not relevant as such

I know someone similar who paid for day 5 release - result took a week so she was released sooner under 10 day rule!

That’s the private testing companies for you, thankfully the NHS ones are usually a lot quicker.

Who was this with op ?

Yes please let us know which company this was so others can avoid it!

I’m just very interested to know if you do these 2 and 8 day pcr tests your self???
As if so what’s stopping people not actually swabbing and sending them back guaranteeing a negative result ??

@Cantstandsmugness yes, you do them yourself. If you don’t swab it doesn’t guarantee a negative result, it comes back “void”. Apparently.

Not sure I should name and shame as a) it was the Post Office’s fault and b) a couple of friends used them and had no problems and super quick results.

I don’t think you can use NHS, can you? It’s a list of private providers.

As far as I can see these tests are not designed to protect you or indeed anyone else. They are just a tax on travel to stop people coming in and out of the country as Border Force cannot cope with all the paperwork.

The day 2 test does not benefit you unless you are arriving from a green list country. Ditto the day 8 unless you get the result within 24 hours which is virtually impossible if you are using Royal Mail.

The only advantage comes from the Day 5 test. I recommend Boots. You go in in person and to date results have always come back within 15 hours.

Just be grateful you are not in Germany where the penalty for travelling to UK, even when you have been doubly vaccinated and have a negative PCR test, is 14 days house arrest, often in solitary confinement. Particularly difficult if your trip was for a family funeral. No test to release.

Tbf I think some of the NHS testing is very slow too. Took 2 x PCRs from home (urban area), sent them off and one came back 2.5 days later, the other 3-4 days later.