Test & Trace don't recognise my vaccine

[franke]

This is news to me, I was vaccinated with the Pfizer outside the UK and it doesn't count apparently. Anyway, I have to isolate till Sunday. I live in mainland Europe and have a flight home booked on Saturday. I can't stay where I am as it's a holiday cottage that we've only booked till Saturday. Ditto our hire car which must be returned on Saturday at the airport. So assuming they won't let me fly on day 9 of isolation, my options are:

1. stay in a hotel for two nights and get a flight on Monday. This costs £££ that I simply don't have.
2. travel by public transport to another part of England to stay with a relative for a couple of days and then get a cheaper flight midweek. This would suit me, but t&t say I MUST NOT use public transport.
3. try and sneak onto my scheduled flight on Saturday. It's also public transport, but quicker than a train to relative i.e. less exposure and would get me out of the NHS's hair. But I might be stopped and thrown in jail. Joking, but it could be a hassle and I really don't want to break the law.

Help.

I don't understand your situation.

Are you self isolating now in the holiday cottage or are you on holiday here? How is this new to you now, if you've already been here for a while?

You have to isolate at the address you gave in the Passenger Locator form, you cannot just up and go somewhere else.

Yes, I'm on holiday here at the address I put on the passenger locator form. I arrived last week but was only contacted today and told to isolate till Sunday. But the cottage we're staying in is only booked till Saturday and then we are booked to fly home. But t&t say I must isolate till the end of Sunday, so I can't leave till Monday. What am I supposed to do between Saturday and Monday?

@ChardonnaysPetDragon I'm guessing the OP has been named as a contact of a positive case since arriving in the U.K.?

I don't really know what you're meant to do in this situation! I don't see why they can't let you send in evidence of your vaccinations

I can't stay in the cottage beyond Saturday - other guests are coming.

What/how many jabs have you had? Is it one or two?

[quote Heartofglass12345]@ChardonnaysPetDragon I'm guessing the OP has been named as a contact of a positive case since arriving in the U.K.?

I don't really know what you're meant to do in this situation! I don't see why they can't let you send in evidence of your vaccinations [/quote]
Apparently vaccinations given in Europe are acceptable for entry to the UK but not as an exemption from the need to isolate if you're a close contact 🤷🏻‍♀️

They won't know if you use public transport. They don't have trackers. Assume due to flight passes they can monitor if you get on the flight though. What a pain for you

I'd get the flight home (or at least attempt to) as sounds like they've messed up or are changing the rules in some way.

I've been fully vaxxed since June.

With Pfizer/Biontec.

@JacquelineCarlyle I want to believe that common sense will prevail but...

@JacquelineCarlyle

I'd get the flight home (or at least attempt to) as sounds like they've messed up or are changing the rules in some way.

It’s true that vaccinations given outside of the UK don’t count when it comes to isolating if you’re a close contact. Happened to someone I know who had had AZ but they were staying for a while so could isolate. T&T did call to check up on them. I’d call and see what they suggest.

@liveforsummer it's mad though isn't it? I could sit on a train for several hours or I can get on a plane for an hour.

The other complication is that I'm isolating in a very, ahem, isolated area so the only way I can contact them is to go to a public phone box several miles away. Which I'm not allowed to do. None of their calls will get through to me here.

Why are they applying separate rules for foreign vaccinated people to those vaccinated in the UK (with the same vaccine)? That makes no sense whatsoever!

I think you need to contact test and trace if that is possible, or the police, and ask what you are supposed to do (or ring up Boris, but I don't suppose he knows either!). My best guess is that the holiday cottage owner has to let you stay until Sunday, and then they should give your cottage a deep clean. The holiday makers would have to be put off until at least the Sunday, but that seems very unfair to them, as they would still have to vacate on the Saturday, and they may have come a long way too. I also feel really sorry for holiday home owners if that has been there only income for the last couple of years. I suppose that these are the dangers of booking holidays both home and abroad these days... Good luck at getting it all sorted satisfactorily OP.

Thanks for all the replies BTW. I really don't think this is anything to do with the holiday cottage owner and, anyway, even if I could stay another night or two I'd be left without a car (dh needs it to get to his flight on Saturday) and no means to get the airport 3 hours away.

@JacquelineCarlyle no it doesn't make sense, particularly as our vaccines are good enough to get us into the UK in the first place.

You really are in a pickle OP.

It makes sense now, your situation, but absolutely no idea what you can do about it.

[quote franke]@JacquelineCarlyle no it doesn't make sense, particularly as our vaccines are good enough to get us into the UK in the first place.[/quote]
Sorry I don't have any advice but this sounds like total Boris madness! Your vaccine is sufficient for you to come to the UK without quarantining but not to stop you having to isolate as a contact. That makes utterly no sense, bloody government!

Thanks I've had wine and the whole situation just looks ridiculous. I'm quite relishing some t&t bod turning up here in the middle of nowhere when they can't contact me by phone.

Thankfully the weather forecast says it's going to pour with rain all week so I'm not too fed up about staying indoors.

How did they notify you in the first place? If it was text or email just continue as if you've never received it. They can't know you have.

Hire another car and go to the relative

Text and email and like a good citizen I followed their link and put in details so yes they do know.