Do you / Would you test more than required?

[workwoes123]

Just that really... do you test before you go to meet people? Or before groups events? If you are travelling, and there are no tests required to travel (as a fully vaccinated person) would you do a test 'just in case'?

We are flying to our home country in a week. We are all fully vaccinated, There are currently no tests required to enter this country and no tests on arrival. If one of us is symptomatic or identified as a contact case before we go, of course we will test and do everything else as required. But 'just in case' when it's not required? My sister seems shocked that we won't test before we fly even when we're not required to. I should say that she has no kids and has WFH since the start of the pandemic and she's pretty health anxious at the best of times. DH and I work in schools, we have two kids in school - covid is not some scary unknown for us, for us this is part of living with it.

WWYD?

I'm confused. We didn't see our family for two years. Before we flew, we tested. If it had been positive we wouldn't have gone. It was negative so we went and had a lovely time with our vulnerable relatives. We tested again to return home. Surely if you are positive on the outbound you just reschedule and if positive on the return you've already inadvertently exposed the people you're staying with... or am I missing something? I might be!

@orangina01

“Just” rescheduling means not setting them till summer. We work in schools and have kids in school so the holidays are the only time we can travel. So we either go now, or not till July.

We are starting with two sets of family plus a few days in Air bnb. If we test positive before we go to family, we have nowhere else to go - unless we go and stay in a hotel, which we can’t afford.

We don’t have a lot of flexibility, either in scheduling or cost.

[quote workwoes123]@orangina01

“Just” rescheduling means not setting them till summer. We work in schools and have kids in school so the holidays are the only time we can travel. So we either go now, or not till July.

We are starting with two sets of family plus a few days in Air bnb. If we test positive before we go to family, we have nowhere else to go - unless we go and stay in a hotel, which we can’t afford.

We don’t have a lot of flexibility, either in scheduling or cost.[/quote]
It would be massively shit for you all if you missed out on seeing your family because one or all of you got covid, I get that.

But you are being unreasonable to basically go 'lalalala, I don't want to know' so it can't mess up your trip.

We've all been facing those issues throughout, you're not unusual. Your sister is absolutely right and you refusing to test would be a red flag for me because you're showing that you are only thinking about yourself.

I don't care if it's mild etc I don't want covid.
It's not always mild and people are still getting very sick and dying.
Doing an LFT is the absolute basic thing you can do to protect other people who aren't choosing to share their day with someone with covid.

No I only test if I'm legally obliged to. We have to test every day at work which is enough for me.

I test before seeing elderly relatives. Thats all.

@roastingmichael

I’m coming round to this.

So what are people doing in practice to deal with the consequences of a positive test half way through a family visit? Booking alternative accommodation and just writing the cost off if they don’t use it? I’m looking for practical solutions. Ones that people are doing in this situation.

Not really testing at all, maybe I would prefer f I had symptoms. I don’t mix with many people, work from home, go to the pool twice a week and maybe eat out occasionally at weekends. I don’t see the point in testing anymore, most people are vaccinated and most people getting covid are only getting mild symptoms, it’s time we treated it the same as other viruses.

@workwoes123

Hey I get it. I feel your pain. We had to go in the summer for the same reason. But as @roastingmichael days, those of us with family abroad are all facing the same things. It's shit but ultimately your relatives' safety is paramount so you test before you go. The rest has an element of risk, sure, but if you can't work around the risks you may never see them. I think you have to reduce your contact as much as humanly possible before you go (outside of school/work), then hope for the best. I hope it works out for you. A huge weight lifted on me when I finally reached my elderly parents after those long years apart. It does make you appreciate why you have been so careful.

@woekwoes123 we have two kids in primary too and it was nerve wracking but luckily it worked out.

Never tested. EVER

I have travelled to see family and friends several times. I test before I leave home, even if it isn't required, so that I don't travel to them while testing positive. I don't test when I am away unless I have symptoms. I had symptoms when I was there at Christmas so I did test - it was negative. What I would have done had it been positive is stay in my Mother's house, stayed to the bedroom and tried to avoid contact with relatives as much as possible.

@sonjadog

So your mothers house is the place you planned to isolate at? Were you travelling alone or as a group ( we are DH and I plus two kids)? Hmm we just need to figure out what we’d do if we tested positive before we’re got to my parents.

I can’t believe people make all these alternative arrangements as a matter of course now, when travelling with family to stay with other family. Maybe people just aren’t telling about it.

I find it a bit unbelievable that working in schools as you do, where it's absolutely rife, you wouldn't test before seeing your loved ones. That's baffling.

Even if there is no legal requirement to, a quick LFT is a courtesy to the people you're sharing a plane with - and your family abroad as well.

Ok I was confused before, I thought you meant alternative accommodation for Covid isolation. Not for a potential Covid isolation.

I have family scattered across the continent and whenever I’ve visited them these years, the plan has been to stay out if I get a positive test, wherever that might be.

Are your parents not able to still host you if you test positive? Your own area of the house / your own bathroom or plenty of ventilation and cleaning after each use, if not?

I was on my own. My Mother's lives in small flat, so it wouldn't have been great, but the plan was that we would just have to get on with it if either of us tested positive while I was staying there.

If you test positive earlier in your trip, could you go directly to your parents' house and isolate there? It would be difficult with four of you, but it would only be for a short number of days.

Nope. Only done about 3 LFTs the whole time.

Another thing about travelling that might be worth mentioning, I have only done it with changeable flights these last two years. Because if I got sick right before travelling home again, then I would have had to stay on. I wouldn't travel at the moment without changeable flights.

I’m on holiday now and there was no requirement to test before we entered the country so I didn’t. If I had symptoms I would have done.

I may test if I’m seeing my parents as they are getting on a bit and not in the best of health.

Currently testing DC2 every few days as they’ve been a close contact.

But I’ll be fucked if I’ll test for any other reason if I don’t have symptoms and I definitely won’t test if it will stop me from doing something fun that I want to do. We’ve missed enough life the last two years as it is.

I'd test if someone specifically asked me to. I did the other week when meeting a friend as several of the kids in my child's class were positive. It's no big deal to do it but I'm not doing it routinely.

Do you not have travel insurance? You need to check you have Covid cover and they will cover the cost, bit a lot only cover you if you have accommodation booked as part of the trip - check carefully.

But it’s likely no isolation requirement will exist after 31/3 - so it maybe better to rebook for Easter rather than half term.

@BluebellsGreenbells

As I said The best that travel insurance can do is cover out accommodation if we end up having to extend our stay at the end - we need to test before returning to France, while still in the U.K.. it won’t cover not being able to stay with family because we tested positive and their houses are too small.

Flights in February cost £350. Flights at Easter would cost nearer £2000. We can’t afford that.

Don’t spoil your holidays. There is no point in testing, unless you go and mix with extremely ill and vulnerable people who haven’t been vaccinated.
The whole family caught it after Christmas including very old and vulnerable grand grand parents (in their late 90s). They had all received their booster and had a very mild cold for 2 days as only symptoms. We (the younger generations) were much more impacted!
Stop this nonsense and get on with your life as it was pre 2020.

[quote workwoes123]@BluebellsGreenbells

As I said The best that travel insurance can do is cover out accommodation if we end up having to extend our stay at the end - we need to test before returning to France, while still in the U.K.. it won’t cover not being able to stay with family because we tested positive and their houses are too small.

Flights in February cost £350. Flights at Easter would cost nearer £2000. We can’t afford that.[/quote]
There's a lot of emphasis on money as the priority here.

Being pedantic, if you were meant to see them 2 years ago, cancelled etc you've had the money then for the trip plus 2 subsequent years worth surely?

It's your choice to live abroad. You've usually got free accommodation. So why can't you for 1 trip find the money for the eventuality? Big chains allow last minute cancellation, so book as individual nights and cancel daily.
Or save now for more expensive flights and perhaps then when numbers are lower again there's less chance and if it happened you could camp in their countryside garden, whilst visiting if positive.

@XpressoMartini

Don’t spoil your holidays. There is no point in testing, unless you go and mix with extremely ill and vulnerable people who haven’t been vaccinated. The whole family caught it after Christmas including very old and vulnerable grand grand parents (in their late 90s). They had all received their booster and had a very mild cold for 2 days as only symptoms. We (the younger generations) were much more impacted! Stop this nonsense and get on with your life as it was pre 2020.

How selfish you are.

And if those family members had died would that have still been OK?

You may wish to take the risk, don't assume others do too.