PCR tests are coming back quickly, within 24 hours, and plenty of London clinics offering to courier tests to labs etc. Less easy elsewhere. A Dorset friend ended up driving a couple of hours to get a predeparture test. (But then a major culture shock outside London is the amount of time people spend in their cars….) DS has his booked for the afternoon he returns. He should have his results before he gets over his jet lag.
It appears that the predeparture test can be lateral flow, but apparently the guidance is far from clear.
The concern now is Boris threatening to review Christmas arrangements in 12 days time, plus the fact that DS will need to test before returning to the US. Already DS is wondering whether the big Boxing Day gathering in a London restaurant is wise. He is at a key point in his PhD and enjoying being able, finally, to share a study room with peers, and submitting papers for conferences. Numbers are growing in the US as well and their rule makers are getting twitchy. He does not want to get stuck in his childhood bedroom shuffling time zones.
His sister, in contrast, finally has a social life and is making the most of it. DS is essentially a statistician, so will have calculated his DSis is high risk. It could be like when they were 6 and 4 and he had no desire to spend any time with his (then) irritating younger sister.
We are back in London tonight. Tree buying, Christmas cake making etc. We have never made a big thing of Christmas but I am really looking forward to having the family together.
Congratulations Xenia and Xenia daughter. Enjoy Christmas with a new generation.