Anyone else with Christmas plans in the UK feeling jittery?

[QuentininQuarantino]

Last year's Christmas was awful, stuck alone in our host country which was in lockdown. Especially as we only cancelled our UK trip a couple of weeks in advance.

Now it feels a bit like history repeating itself. Most of the presents for the DC are at my parents house in the UK (really specific things that can't be bought here from the letter to father christmas!) and the DC are so excited.

(Also, thanks to fucking Brexit, we have told everyone to post everything to my parents house because of the huge import charges we keep getting stung with.)

We're only over the channel in France, and I keep telling myself its only 3/4 weeks to go.. but I've got that dreadful pit-of-the-stomach feeling.

Anyone else? Fancy some mutual support?

We are seeing family in England and then Scotland.
Thank goodness we decided to stay in England first, we will have to stay an extra day to get up to 8.
There were no bookable tests left on the day we arrive at Heathrow so we have booked a drive through in North London.
I really don't understand why UK doesn't get people to do a test before they arrive.
We will have done a fair amount of traveling around London just to get tested and to our accommodation.

@TomBradysLeftKneecap

I am confused by the two day thing. We’re supposed to be going in January. We land on the Monday morning. So do we get tested on the Tuesday (the 2nd day) or Wednesday (a full 2 days later)? Sorry if this is a dumb question!

I’m beginning to resign myself that this may not happen anyway and less pressure as it’s not actually for Xmas but I so much want to see my family!

If you look at the phrasing, it actually says something along the lines of 'up to Day 2'. DS is getting his test on the day he lands, with a quick result, so (in theory) should be 'free' a lot sooner.

It actually says
'take a PCR test before the end of day 2 after you arrive (lateral flow tests will not be accepted), you can leave self-isolation if your PCR test result is negative'.

We are getting tested on the day we arrive and have been told we get the results the next morning.

Also very anxious here about the calls for a day 8 test too with self isolation until then. I just don't think the politicians who come up with these ideas really truly think about what stress they are putting people under and how all of this political point scoring and bickering makes the people coming back home to see their families feel. I'm just going to be on edge until we land at the weekend I think, my stomach is already churning just thinking about what could change or go wrong! We've booked our pcr tests at Heathrow arrivals, wanted to get them done as soon as possible and hopefully get our results back quicker.

@TomBradysLeftKneecap The day you travel is Day 0 of the two days. We’re having our 2day PCR as soon as we land, in the drive through facility at Gatwick, then using the 2 day “window” to drive to our destination where we can check in remotely and have shopping delivered. I’ll be quite happy to isolate there until the result.
Of course your situation isn’t quite the same but IMO the two day period is pretty [useless] generous.

@QuentininQuarantino don't worry, I'll let you off!

I'm not worried about getting back- the country we are in has never shut borders and for various reasons we're exempt from quarantine here (but not at home). The Day 8 would really screw us. I don't want to be in a central London aparthotel for 8 days. I think if that happened we'll either cancel all together or go straight to where we will have Xmas and isolate there and book an air bnb or something (which would take into the next day anyway).

But that would mean I did not see my friends which I would be very very sad about. I won't accept that's frivolous.

We were planning to be abroad for Xmas (we lost all three parents earlier this year so don’t want to do Christmas at home without them). I’m now starting to prep for plan B in case we don’t get away - turkey in the freezer, and a few presents to open etc….

@Lovelydovey

We were planning to be abroad for Xmas (we lost all three parents earlier this year so don’t want to do Christmas at home without them). I’m now starting to prep for plan B in case we don’t get away - turkey in the freezer, and a few presents to open etc….

Sorry @Lovelydovey, that's really tough on you all. I know that going away on the Christmases I lost both of my parents was a big help.

We’ve the opposite problem. DH now working in France; we're heading ‘home’ to Italy for Christmas. Last year we literally got out of plague island a day before flights got stopped, but had to endure lots of ‘English variant’ digs. We’re supposed to relocate to France end of January and I can see us going straight from 🇮🇹 to 🇫🇷 after Christmas if the UK turns into usual shit show.

Meanwhile, the larger of son’s Christmas presents will be sitting in a sack for him in the UK as we don’t have enough room to take them all out to Italy, and the whole thing is such a mess.

The day 2 test is a specific test which includes sequencing. When the day 5 test to release test was introduced Collinson didn't make it clear results would take longer than their equivalent departure test and when I checked with them they said results by midnight same day if tested by 4pm because it's a longer test. They remained the only provider for months offering same day results for the day 5 test (there are more now). You can't take a departure test in place of a day 2 test. There have been so many posts on groups where I am taking about 3 hour results using the rapid PCR but they are departure tests. Someone found a company offering same day results day 2 test with The Regenerative Clinic. The only problem is they don't have any airport locations and as you aren't supposed to take public transport before receiving a negative result they aren't necessarily going to be an option. Hoping the companies with sites at and around airports will announce a same day results day 2 test asap.

Thanks @TheTeenageYears. Not good news for me then. I knew it was too good to be true. As you say, we'll see if anyone introduces a rapid day 2 test. Presumably at an extortionate price and almost certainly too late for me to see my family

Another test announced - currently LFT or PCR to enter the uk on top of the day 2 PCR & quarantine. France also requires a pre departure test. With all the different age requirements I might have to make a spreadsheet!

Currently still planning to go…

Still planning to go too, the pre departure test doesnt piss me off as much as the day 2 test and quarantining while waiting for the sloooooow result.

My child might feel differently 😂😂

We're still planning to go as well. Pre-departure test is free in France if you're vaccinated so it's no extra cost and the one before going back into France can be antigen which isn't too expensive. It's just a lot to organise and I'm back to being quite nervous that they will make more changes before we go!

Oh FFS, good job I'm on this thread, I hadn't seen the news and I'm going on Thurs. Anyone know what evidence of the test you have to provide? The .gov website hasn't been updated yet, unsurprisingly.

So they've announced this on a Saturday night, when Monday and Wednesday are public holidays in Spain and I can't do anything till Tuesday, when I'm working (and having to do all the work I can't do on Monday and Wednesday). No idea whether I'll be able to organise a test and get the result back in time. I haven't seen my family in two years, and we're so excited. My parents are going to meet my daughter for the first time. I could actually cry.

@LaMadrilena

Thanks *@TheTeenageYears*. Not good news for me then. I knew it was too good to be true. As you say, we'll see if anyone introduces a rapid day 2 test. Presumably at an extortionate price and almost certainly too late for me to see my family

DS arrived home from Sydney yesterday. We took him straight to a test centre (Midland Health in Birmingham), and we had his negative result before midnight yesterday. £129 but worth it not to have all of our plans cancelled. Obviously DH and I had to isolate with him until his result came through.

In HK we just got the news that Swiss and Lufthansa have cancelled the HK route (in addition to BA and massive cuts to Cathay) because they can't get pilots to fly to HK due to risk of prolonged hospital stay if they test positive on arrival (HK hospitalises all positive cases for min of 24 days), and, in case of Cathay pilots, closed loop flying with 2 weeks hotel quarantine inbound. I don't blame the crew tbh. A lot of people's plans in tatters though and just finding it hard to see when this will end. I haven't left HK for >630 days and it is SMALL.

Really hoping all of you make it back.

@QuentininQuarantino

Another test announced - currently LFT or PCR to enter the uk on top of the day 2 PCR & quarantine. France also requires a pre departure test. With all the different age requirements I might have to make a spreadsheet!

Currently still planning to go…

I think it's the right and responsible thing to do, they should have announced it last week - it's the first line of defence and means there's less risk of being identified as a close contact from a plane if a few less people are able to travel having already tested positive before travel. We've had two separate instances of positive on departure tests in our family and i'm glad it was identified pre travel rather than after they had sat on a plane full of passengers and crew.

@ajandjjmum must be fabulous to have DS back with you - hope you have a lovely time together. There are a few places offering results by midnight for day 2 test (I had read on a local Facebook group of somewhere in Birmingham) including a company with testing in central London but still hoping the Heathrow based testing companies will do the same or better with a 3hr rapid.

I always thought pre-testing made more sense. Booking tomorrow morning.

Pre departure testing does make more sense, I agree.

It’s the fact they totally ruled it out of the Friday and brought it in on the Saturday… anything can happen at any time and markets (and travelers!) don’t like uncertainty

It looks like pre departure is for age 12+, day 2 is for age 5+, getting back to France age 12+..

Hello,
I am in the same position - booked to come from France to UK on 18th and leave the 23rd.. am I right in thinking that I need to do a lateral flow test before we come, a PCR when we arrive and then another lateral flow before we leave?

@sleepy78 yes, that's correct (for the moment!)
You also need to quarantine in the UK until you get the result from your day 2 test.

It's very hard to remain optimistic. This is all like some sort of demonic advent calendar where every day produces a new hoop to jump through.

Pre-departure testing is, of course, the sensible thing to do but they can't just keep adding on more and more requirements almost daily.

Luckily, for us, the cost is not a major concern but if everyone starts to cancel their plans then it is likely that the airlines/ferries will start cancelling routes making it totally impossible for us to travel anyway.

I am torn between "keep calm and carry on" and just cancelling the whole thing and coming to terms with the fact that I won't see my children/grandchildren for the second Christmas running.