Making friends take a test

[PeacheyPeach]

We are due to go away in a few weeks. Dteens haven't seen their friends since end of school due to one thing or another so really want to meet up before we go away. Would it be unreasonable for me to suggest that they all take tests before meeting up as I don't want to run the risk of catching covid or we end.up having to isolate and miss out on our holiday!?

All sounds perfectly reasonable to me, and in fact we're planning on doing similar - flying shorthaul to see my parents first time in two years, I'm not exactly self isolating beforehand but also not taking unnecessary chances (not having a coffee inside in a cafe, eg). DS really wants a sleepover in a tent with a couple of friends, deferred birthday treat, and I'm planning to ask his friends if they would mind doing a LFT beforehand. We test every few days, probably not religiously, but I know enough families who picked up on totally asymptomatic cases via LFT to see that it's worth doing, even if they're not super-sensitive. We have so many hurdles to leap over before getting on a plane and I'm pretty sure neither of DS's friends would mind doing one.

As many many PP have pointed out, this is how we go forward, living with the virus. Maybe not testing before each time you go to the supermarket (but I continue to wear a mask there as do about 90% of the other customers locally) but testing while at school (to protect the community) and testing before something important (for more selfish reasons).