Skiing in December in France

[OhCobblers]

I think I've managed to take confuse myself reading too many threads and Snowheads!
Double vac parents, 2 single dose teens going before Xmas.
I'm not due I understand what apps I need to show PCR tests for them and how long each test is valid for before having to retest in the resort?!

Could someone please explain it in layman's terms?!

To get into France your teens will need an antigen test within 24h of departure. “Self administered tests” are not accepted although I have not heard of anyone turned down at the border with the U.K. private type so long as an appropriate certificate was presented.

At the moment the passe sanitaire doesn’t apply on ski lifts. If the rates go up in France it might and we don’t know how it will work or be checked. Otherwise your teens will only need the PS for hotels, cafes and restaurants, certain attractions and long distance trains.

Where the PS is required you and your husband can present your NHS QR code or you can download Tous Anti Covid and scan your NHS code into it.

If you need a PS for your teens for whatever reason you will have to get them an antigen test in a French pharmacie. They will ask for a phone number/passport etc and the result will be texted to you and the certificate with QR can be downloaded via the instruction in the text. For ease your teens can scan this into Tous Anti Covid if they like. It is valid for 72h then you have to retest.

Say you are checking into a hotel the first night, anecdotally I have heard of people showing the U.K. travel test certificate for a day or two and allowing the teens to check in even though it doesn’t have the QR, but it depends on discretion.

Is this helpful?

@abricotine thank you so much for taking the time to type out this info.

So just to summarise as we're self catering and eat out all the time.

Download travel Covid PDF for husband and I who are double vac.
No pre departure test needed for us but required for kids the day before we fly?

72 hours later get kids tested again in a resort pharmacie? And the same again 72 hours later which is also valid for them to fly or do we need to do something different for our departure?

There seem to be updated articles in the Daily Telegraph but I don't subscribe!

Thanks so much!

And you need to agree to the declaration that you’ve not been in contact with positive cases in the previous 10 days.
I know our school aged kids couldn’t do that atm.
Good luck!

And you need to agree to the declaration that you’ve not been in contact with positive cases in the previous 10 days.
I know our school aged kids couldn’t do that atm.
Good luck!

@Muchtoomuchtodo

And you need to agree to the declaration that you’ve not been in contact with positive cases in the previous 10 days. I know our school aged kids couldn’t do that atm. Good luck!

You just have to lie.

@Muchtoomuchtodo

And you need to agree to the declaration that you’ve not been in contact with positive cases in the previous 10 days. I know our school aged kids couldn’t do that atm. Good luck!

In theory nobody at all can say that with absolute certainty unless they have not left the house for 10 days! To my understanding this statement is designed to capture those who would be considered a close contact of a confirmed positive case - so have you been informed by school your child has been a close contact (and under the old rules would have had to self isolate) or otherwise has anyone been contacted by test & trace. I don't believe it is meant to capture any remote possibility of contact. Moreover, we never actually had to hand the form over - they were only interested in vaccine certification and tests for the teens, but it is correct that it is required. Otherwise OhCobblers I agree with you - nothing required by way of pre departure test any more, phew. The rules and links to the form are at uk.ambafrance.org/COVID-19-rules-for-travel-between-France-and-the-UK-28918 Note what I said above about whether they will accept your teens' UK test certificate once you have crossed the border. I understand it's generally accepted although strictly speaking it does not comply. So you might need to head to the pharmacie sooner. Hope you make it!

We’ve had 2 contacts from T&T in the last 3 weeks for our 2 kids so I really would struggle to adhere to the declaration atm.
I could always just lie……. I wonder why we’re still in such a pickle with people doing this!!

I can’t see anything on the websites about requiring a test every 72hours once in? Will all resort pharmacies offer this do you think?

It’s changed again today I think. Tests needed every 24 hours for unvaccinated over 12’s………

Every 24 hours!! Where does it say that?

I have seen they're going to want 'certified' masks on ski lifts & in queues- not just neck gaiter.

@poshme

Every 24 hours!! Where does it say that?

I have seen they're going to want 'certified' masks on ski lifts & in queues- not just neck gaiter.

The rule change to 24 hour validity of test results for the purposes of keeping a passe sanitaire valid was announced as one of several rule change yesterday (Thursday) lunchtime.

Give me a minute and I’ll get a link.

Here you go, but you’ll get the gist, or Google translate will help you do so…

www.lci.fr/politique/covid-19-coronavirus-pandemie-epidemie-pass-sanitaire-la-validite-des-tests-pcr-reduite-a-24-heures-2202914.html

Thank you. Bugger

Not cheap either, the resort that I was looking at was quoting €44 a test 😲

@Muchtoomuchtodo

Not cheap either, the resort that I was looking at was quoting €44 a test 😲

Some resorts quote antigen tests for €22

I’d wait and see the new rules for Amber countries coming out of France before booking anything. Plus whether the Swiss stop transit through Geneva. It’s entirely possible once we detect the variant (which we will as (a) we have excellent genomic sequencing and (b) tens of thousands of people arrived from SA in the days before they stopped flights).

@Schulte it’s people like you that will have the boarders closed again. Ffs.

As someone already pointed out, nobody at all can say that they have not been a contact with absolute certainty unless they have not left the house for 10 days!

Believe me, I have been more careful and responsible throughout this pandemic than most. But that French self declaration is a bit superfluous. People can and do lie. That’s all 🤷‍♀️

It doesn’t matter if you think it’s superfluous. That’s the rule the country has and if you can’t adhere to it then you shouldn’t go.

People thinking they know better than experts and rules is making the recovery and return to normal a much longer process.

Actually I think nonsensical rules are partly to blame for people’s risky behaviour. But we’re digressing from the thread. Which is about whether it will be possible to ski in France this year. Sadly it’s looking extremely unlikely right now. I fear not being able to prove our teenagers’ recovered or vaccinated status will be the least of our worries, no matter where we were hoping to ski

Government advice just updated to say you can transit through Switzerland without quarantining (up to 24 hours).

This website has a pretty good summary of the changing situation. Non double jabbed kids would need to pcr every day to use ski lifts familyski.co.uk/travel-rules-update/

Not just PCR, antigen is also accepted.

News update. You now have to have a PCR test up to 48 hours before entering the UK (vaccinated or not)

Blimey this is getting more complicated by the day!
Do you have to quarantine for two days on arrival in U.K. with a test after arrival if you did a pre entry test 48 hours before also?