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?

@percythewitch Sorry, just checking - is the lateral flow before departing FROM the UK a requirement set specifically by France? I hadn't seen anything about it for travel to Spain, but now I'm paranoid!

According to .gov (updated yesterday), "You must take the test within the 2 days before you travel to England".

Doesn't say if it's 2 calendar days or 48 hours, or whether you count from the time of departure or the time of arrival in the UK.

Anyone any ideas?

@LaMadrilena

It was announced by France this week as a requirement for travellers from non-EU countries. I have no idea about Spanish rules I'm afraid - it's hard enough just keeping track re France/UK!

Hopefully someone with some knowledge of Spain will be along to help.

@percythewitch Don't worry, you've answered my question by saying it was announced by France! I was worried it might have been another UK requirement that I'd missed. Hope your trip goes ok!

Son, wife and grandson were due to Visit from Kuwait. He has been informed that as wife and son are nationals they will more than likely not be able to come.

Last time he left his wife had to fly out and 'collect' him as he is not a national and they were refusing entry.

We are looking at three tests in five days.
PCR on Wednesday to get from Tanzania to Kenya
Something on Friday to get from Kenya to the UK
Something on Sunday when we arrive in the UK

I’m just so irritated by the constant chop and change.

It’s not that I’m reckless or I don’t understand or care, I’m totally on board with good control at the borders but by Christ, the uncertainty absolutely shreds my nerves. I’ve (because of work and unavoidable commitments) gone in and out of France/UK I think six or seven times in pandemic times and no two trips have had the same requirements. Every time a different set of requirements. It’s so wearing oh yeah, and really expensive.

Have had to reorganise everything this week so I can devote tomorrow to making sure we can get booked in for pre departure tests along with every other fucker in the Brit-heavy region with limited testing capacity we’re in trying to do the same thing 😡 fun times.

I’m really sorry for those of you whose plans are being wrecked. It sucks.

@Sophoclesthefox completely agree. I am attempting to return to the UK and am in a state of constant fear that some rule or another will change and they won't let me on the plane. Ultimately, nobody cares. Nobody cares in any shape or form about people who travel.

All this testing of arrivals from sensible EU countries drives me mad, when I see the majority of people in the UK not wearing a mask, and pubs and shopping centres etc are rammed. The problem is not from travellers. Husband next Friday has to have a pre departure antigen, then a PCR on arrival. Sunday morning gets results and hopefully free for a few hours, before returning to France, thankfully spared the final test as his PCR will be

Having booked 48 hour tests for leaving the UK I now need 1 day tests instead.
The guidance does change rapidly I think more for political reasons than anything else.
Anyway off to book more tests.

Having a fight with husband now. We leave Friday at 2pm. I booked a test for Wednesday 10-30, the only slot available. He booked a slot at 11 on Thursday at a different provider.

He thinks my slot is too early, because they mean 48 hours, so has to be after 2pm Weds. I think his slot is too late, because if it goes wrong, we’re fucked (they usually do same day results, but…)

The old guidance when it was a three day period was: if you travel on Friday, you can test Tuesday, WedNesday Thursday or Friday.

So by my reading, changing it to “you must take the test in the two days before your service to England departs” means you can test anytime Wednesday or Thursday, to travel anytime Friday.

Because how the fuck else could you get your results back in time?? It’s far too short a window!

Please tell me I’m right before I throttle the fucker 😡

This stress….

God dammit, I’ve checked again and he’s right. It has completely changed as it is now within 48 hours.

www.gov.uk/government/news/tests-required-before-travel-to-uk-and-nigeria-added-to-red-list

Do not follow the advice on the main coronavirus gov.Uk guidance, it’s misleading!

@Sophoclesthefox I think you are right,4 based on their definition of three days being any time on the three precedingu days, ergo two days = any time on the two preceding days. However the PLF must be 48 hours.

Clear as mud..

Grant “we-categorically-will-not-bring-in-pre-flight-testing” Shapps actually got it wrong in his announcement tweet and left the incorrect info up for 48 hours. What humiliating incompetence.

FFS my screenshot is from the “entering the uk” page right now!!!!

This is farcical!!

What a shambles! It’s completely unclear. If they mean 48 hours, and not “two days” then they should say 48 hours and illustrate it! And take out the misleading example illustrating what “three days” means in the next fucking paragraph, when “two days” and “three days” aren’t measured using the same metric for what the length of “a day” in relation to your departure time is!

They changed the wording earlier today, too, but didn’t update the example. This is going to trip people up.

Also, it has meant my husband is right, and he’s being so smug I might just leave him in France anyway 😡

What I’ve learned during all of this is that, whatever you do, take no lessons whatsoever from what you did on your last trip, just rip it all up and start over from fresh figuring out what you need to do. Because it is guaranteed to be completely different, contradictory, and poorly explained.

Absolutely it’s really complicated. We’re driving from the far south so planning to test on Wednesday early with a LFT then take a Thursday night eurotunnel.

If they change it for a PCR I don’t know how we can fit it in with the driving times.

I don't even know if there's any point asking this yet.

We are meant to be going to UK via Eurotunnel on 18th Dec at 10 am and coming back 22nd at 5pm. Is there any way do you think we could just do the 1 pcr test (thinking of pick up or drive through at Gatwick). So it would be our 2 day and our return test too.

There are 6 of us so not cheap:
13, 15, 15, 17 and 2 adults. And I can't work out who needs to do what anymore in terms of testing.

3 babies have been born that we've yet to meet. I'm desperate to get crackers, stocking fillers (and some sneaky cheddar).

Oh god good catch on the PCR. I'm going to change my booking Time. They come to your house where we live and tbh, though, the time on the test letter is never the same as when you had it done.

@QuentininQuarantino

Absolutely it’s really complicated. We’re driving from the far south so planning to test on Wednesday early with a LFT then take a Thursday night eurotunnel.

If they change it for a PCR I don’t know how we can fit it in with the driving times.

Where do you get the lateral flows? I’m struggling to understand what constitutes an approved lateral flow device (only got NhS ones to hand, which aren’t approved for this). Hence going for the PCR.

I think antigen tests are lateral flow tests… the local private clinic does antigen tests for travel which I used back in September… I hope to god they count!

I think they do count. Do you get the results emailed, or there and then? I guess they’re cheaper, but if the results are quicker too, that’s a bonus. The clinic I’m going to also offers antigen tests, so I’m trying to figure if I should ask for them instead.

Hello, so happy to find this thread. We're supposed to be flying to UK from Italy in 10 days to see my family for the first time since Pre Covid. I've booked the PCR tests at the UK end, hopefully can do a lateral flow in the local pharmacy the day before but am dreading last minute changes regarding quarantine. Trying to find an insurance that could cover any potential extra hotel costs ( any suggestions for non British residents?)

The antigen/LFT test done the day before I fly is ok, right? The UK Gov are appallingly unclear although it is a comfort knowing everyone on the flight will have been tested.

Well DSis just canceled our trip. Pointing out that if we turn up for our early Christmas lunch on 18th no one else can come because of self isolating. We can't go over earlier because of work/school.

@Fairylights25

You read the room op. Your comments are tone deaf.

There are people here that are now having to go back into isolation for the whole winter as they are CEV and can't risk catching the covid.

People en route facing 10 days of quarantine in a hotel at a huge cost through no fault of their own.

We have all collectively lost so many people to covid across the globe, and many more suffering such as my cousin who is now permanently disabled and unable to even shower himself at 42 after nearly dying from covid, and yet YOU feel entitled to moan endlessly about Boris and his decisions and the small problem of posting out your son's presents worst case.

You have the option to see your family right now, you can hop on a plane/train/ferry and will almost certainly be able to visit easily and return home. You are just choosing not to.

Seriously get a grip, and take your own advice.

Well… this aged well…

So much for just hopping on a ferry and visiting easily.

I’m going to the Uk later this month. If we can all avoid getting Covid in the next few weeks then, if I’ve got this right, all we need to do is get an official lateral flow test done the day before we travel, book a PCR test for when we arrive, quarantine till the tests come back negative, avoid getting Covid while in the UK, take another official lateral flow test the day before we fly home, then a 3-day test after we arrive.

‘Just hop on a plane…’ LOL.