Anyone been to / going to Greek islands?

[Twobigsapphires]

Due to holiday on Greek Island in 2 weeks. Really anxiety inducing, anyone in the area boat or can offer reassurance?

@Bayleaf25 You are correct. Under 18s can go on a ferry by doing an LFT self test.

The 18+ (unvaccinated or single dose) must do either a PCR or a rapid antigen test. This is a high sensitivity LFT basically. Your son can either do one in Greece at a lab like BIOIATRIKI or similar (many places do them) or have a rapid Qured kit test or similar that he can do with online supervision and get a certificate. In Greece all rapids are done at a a diagnostic lab facility. They cost 20 euros. Unless you are well familiar with the country though and where to find these test centres, it's easier to order a kit in the UK, take it in the suitcase, book an online appointment and do the test the day before he catches the ferry. He needs to show a negative certificate to the coastguard before he boards the ferry.

@magsbagsfags Many thanks! We've been in Athens for a few days now (with no problem) but will navigate the ferry landscape next weekend. 🥴 Should be fine. Best of luck!

It is important to remember for all reading that the "rapid test" is not the same as the NHS self test. The authorities need to see a certificate from a test company.

What they call "self tests" are similar to our NHS LFTs (and can also be purchased locally at a pharmacy).

@FizzyPink I did think about changing but also preferred what we had booked in Greece. I personally don’t think Greece will move to Amber plus (hope I’m right!) at the next review. The press seem to be swaying one way and then another!

@Sunshine2007 it’s so hard to know what to do! Yesterday all I kept hearing was that Greece and Spain will to amber plus and ruin millions of holidays. Then this morning the headlines seem to be that cases are down and France will be moving back to amber

@Dontrainonmyparade - Zante in 10 days for us and in a very similar position to you re passengers! I think I have done everything on your list too- except the PLFs for Greece- how did you receive these? Did TUI email to you or is there anything I need to do to get them? Thanks

This thread is keeping me sane and the hope alive that we might actually get on holiday….

So for Crete in 3 weeks with 2 double jabbed adults, one unjabbed teen and an 11 year old I need:

1x fit to fly PCR
4x ‘green’ packages from TUI. (I wish they’d update their package names just to keep me right 😂)

We go on Wednesday and I am finally feeling like it might happen - have mostly packed now! Does anyone else sense slight disapproval from other people? We don’t know anyone else going abroad. I work in a school and dh works from home so quarantine is not an issue for our colleagues so it’s not that, maybe I am just paranoid.

@LostFrog yes, definitely

@ElBurro

Complete it here - it’s the passenger locator form for Greece. I think you have to do it within a certain time of arrival in Greece, I did ours early and they email what you need 24 hours before departure, but for some reason we got it early - I triple checked I’d put the right arrival date as it sent me into a panic!

travel.gov.gr/#/

Thank you! @Dontrainonmyparade

Hey all. I've been following this with interest. Booked a trip to Zakynthos/Zante, and we are leaving on Thursday, early in the morning. Coming back on Saturday 7th.

It's to replace a planned trip to France which we had to ditch when the amber plus change happened - we can't quarantine. Partly because oldest DC is going to US on 15 August for study. (Now of course, that sounds like it'll be changed back to amber....another irritation)

Now I'm very worried that we'll get isolated there as a result of someone else's infection, or that Greece will go amber plus. It's driving me crazy, I keep wondering what I was thinking when I booked it - I guess I didn't think through all potential issues until after I'd booked it, foolishly.

DH, eldest DC and I are double vaxxed and elder DC also had covid last October. Younger DC (17) and DH had Covid about three weeks ago. Older DC and I tested negative throughout their illness.
Got all tests sorted and booked for our trip.

I think we will actually go - I see a couple of others here are also planning to go to the island later so will try and update on how things are on arrival.

If any other MNers have recently arrived there or other smaller islands, please do share what happened about arrival testing and whether or not anyone was positive and had to isolate - and if any one had to isolate because of possible infection during the flight.

Good luck all of you who actually get to go. Our eldest DC tested positive for covid at the weekend so had our airline not cancelled we wouldn’t have been able to go anyway. All such a bloody nightmare.
Hugs to all of you balancing the nerves of will we, won’t we.

DD is out of isolation tomorrow and we are due to go Sunday. Very very faint line still tho on the LFT aaaargh!!! Fit to fly LFT booked for Friday so 🤞🤞

Need nerves of steel for this!!

Has anyone applied for a GHIC? If so how long did it take to come? I applied a couple of weeks back and it hasn’t arrived yet so just wondering.

@Twobigsapphires ah man what a rollercoaster!

Can someone please re-assure me the “COVID-19 rapid antigen test” my two under 18s need to take before we fly is a lateral flow test, just a different name? I don’t know why but I’m getting very flustered about getting something wrong! I’ve found a reasonably priced test nearby but it doesn’t say it’s a “fit to fly” lateral flow test. Should it??

We were meant to fly early tomorrow morning. Our DD fit to fly PCR has come back positive. She’s had consistent negative rapid flows and no covid symptoms. Looks like she has had it at some point asymptomatic and is still testing positive. I think you can do so for months. Everyone else testing negative. Absolutely gutted we can no longer go…… Wasn't meant to be for us. Fingers crossed for you guys.

@ArabellaPilkington - does proof of recent infection not cover you?

Oh no @Bingo78! I was contemplating getting my two kids PCRs just to be doubly sure of no infection before we go, but that has put me right off. I’m
so sorry for you all.

[quote Sunshine2007]@ArabellaPilkington - does proof of recent infection not cover you?[/quote]
Nope - only if outside 30 days.

We had to have one as she is 17. Trying to remain positive but the mood in the house isn’t great!!!

Oh@Bingo78, gutted for you all.

I told DD we’d leave her at home if she was positive 👀😂

That's why we're doing LFT for our kids - notPCR. We've recently had covid so they might still test positive.

We know they might test positive on day 2, but we can quarantine if so.

I am so bloody stressed at the thought of having to quarantine in Greece someone sitting near me on the plane tests positive. I'm going in September but seriously thinking about cancelling. It woul d cost me a lot of money to cancel as as all booked and paid for nearly 2 years ago, also I have booked someone to cover my work who I will have to pay anyway.

Don't know what to do.

[quote GrealishHairband]Oh@Bingo78, gutted for you all.

I told DD we’d leave her at home if she was positive 👀😂[/quote]
@GrealishHairband HaI don’t think she’d ever speak to me again. We are really disappointed but would rather find out here than over in Greece. We always felt like it was a risk with the way the world is and it was a holiday moved over from last heat that got cancelled. I’ve been on the phone to the travel company we were booked with and they’ve transferred it over onto a booking of our choosing next year. We are going to spend this week making plans for when we are out of isolation.

Hope everyone has a great stress free hols.