Jun 4, 2020, 5:57 am
Last edit by: NewbieRunner
Mod note on thread engagement:
A reminder that this thread is about the self-isolation requirements for UK arrivals.
It is a help/Information resource for those travelling or returning to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from outside the UK. Let's concentrate on news, questions and answers that are relevant and on-topic and stay away from speculations about the spread of the virus, the performance of politicians and other topics which are more suitable for OMNI.
Please stay within these requirements to avoid issues.
A reminder that this thread is about the self-isolation requirements for UK arrivals.
It is a help/Information resource for those travelling or returning to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland from outside the UK. Let's concentrate on news, questions and answers that are relevant and on-topic and stay away from speculations about the spread of the virus, the performance of politicians and other topics which are more suitable for OMNI.
Please stay within these requirements to avoid issues.
LATEST UPDATES
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-t...virus-covid-19
18 March travel to the UK changes
If you will arrive in the UK from abroad after 4am, Friday 18 March, you do not need to:
- take any COVID-19 tests – before you travel or after you arrive
- fill in a UK passenger locator form before you travel
This will apply whether you are vaccinated or not.
You also will not need to quarantine when you arrive, in line with current rules.
Other countries still have COVID-19 entry rules in place. You should check travel advice before you travel.
If you will arrive in England before 4am, 18 March, you must follow the current rules as set out in this guidance.
*****
The following historical information is retained for the time being.
The Passenger Locator Form for passengers arriving into the UK can be found here:
https://visas-immigration.service.go...r-locator-form
This can only be completed once you are within 48 hours of arrival in the UK.
Exemption list from quarantine requirements - specific details:
https://www.gov.uk/government/public...k-border-rules
England
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to England: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2021/582/contents (this html version is updated, but may not have the very latest updates for Statutory Instruments released in the last few days)
Test to release for England only from 15 December, see post 4776 https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32841066-post4776.html
Statutory instrument for transport providers http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2.../contents/made
Scotland
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to Scotland: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2020/169/contents (this html version is updated)
Wales
Statutory instrument for individual passengers arriving in to Wales: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2020/574/contents (this html version is updated) &
Welsh language version: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/wsi/2...0200574_we.pdf
Northern Ireland
Statutory instrument https://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisr/2021/99/contents (this html version is updated)
PRACTICAL GUIDANCE FOR QUICK RELEASE FROM SELF-ISOLATION (based on November 28th updates)
[This section has been moved lower down in the wiki post following the change in self-isolation rule on 7th January 2022[
Any PCR test noted as a UK Government Day 2 test will be accepted for release from self isolation as soon as you get the negative result. If it is any other PCR test (eg "Fit to Fly") and not advertised specifically as a Day 2 test then it won't be valid.
This means that you can:[list]
- Book a suitable Day 2 PCR test before you travel and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF (Passenger Locator Form).
- On your day of arrival go to your scheduled test.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
Alternatively:- Book any Day 2 PCR test before you travel even if you do not intend to use this test, and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF to ensure entry to the UK.
- Note that you are not strictly required to have a PCR booking before arrival, but your carrier might not know that so you run the risk of being denied boarding
- On your day of arrival (or before end of Day 2) go to a walk-in test centre and take a different test to the one you booked.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
If you are leaving the UK before the end of day 2 then you do not need to take a test, but are required to self-isolate for the duration of your trip (since you do not have a negative result). Also, if you are self-isolating while waiting for a result (and hence have not been informed of a positive result and need to isolate) you may travel to leave the country.
If you take a test and it is positive for any variant of COVID you will be required to isolate for 10 days from the date of the test.
Whether you take a test or not you may be contacted by the UK Test and Trace system at any time if it becomes apparent that you have been in contact with another case. This is very unlikely to happen before day 3 if it is in relation to your flight to UK. Depending on the suspected / identified variant for that case and if you are fully-vaccinated by an accepted programme (see below for links to what this means and valid exemptions) :- Omnicron or not fully-vaccinated: You will be required to isolated for 10 days, including a bar on travel to leave the country. A negative Day 2 test does not release you from this requirement.
- Other and fully vaccinated : You will not be required to isolate.
- Book any Day 2 PCR test before you travel even if you do not intend to use this test, and use the booking reference for the test on the PLF to ensure entry to the UK.
- Proceed to you place of self-isolation and await the result, which will hopefully be same / next day.
- On your day of arrival go to your scheduled test.
Test Providers for Day 2/8 tests & Day 5 Test to release
This section is for FTers to post their experience with specific providers (good or bad). Keep it brief and to the point. Please mention how the service is provided and your FT name.
DNA Workplace - Postal - Test kits arrived with me on time. Royal Mail slow for return. 5+ days for Day 2 result. #DaveS
DNA Workplace - Postal - Test kits both arrived on time, video of tests required, results by late evening Day 3 and Day 9. #TSE
ExpressTest Gatwick - Drive through - Tested early at 1000 a few times for TTR. Results came through in evening. #DaveS
NowTest - Postal - Day 2 kit arrived on time, day 8 did not. Will update with result arrival times when applicable. #wilsnunn
Collinson - Postal - Day 5 Test to Release kit arrived in time. Results and release by end of day 6. #tjcxx
CTM - Postal - Days 2/8 kits arrived together in time. Both sent results 2 days after posting. #tjcxx
Qured (Oncologica) - Postal -Day 2/8 kits arrived late. Results 3+ days from posting. #Gagravarr
Qured (Oncologica) - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived on time. Day 2 result on Day 5 and Day 8 result on Day 10 - happy customer! #EddLegll
Qured (Ocnologica) - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived on time. Day 2 result on Day 5 (after bedtime; ironically after my TTR result). #KSVVZ2015
Anglia DNA - Postal - Day 2/8 kits arrived early. (Both were labelled Day2). Results on Day 4 and Day 9. Cheapest on the list at the time, and good service/result. #tjcxx
Qured - Pre-flight test booked and bought through BA. Very efficient service. Highly recommended. #lhrsfo
Randox - Days 2 and 8. Booked two days before return, using BA discount. Kits already arrived on return. Slightly confusing instructions but manageable. Used Randox dropbox and results next day. Good. #lhrsfo
Randox - Day 2 (also used as pre departure test for a London to Milan flight). Used a drop box and results arrived at midnight the next day. #11101
Randox - Day 2 test centre - 2h30 queues outside the test centre in Waterloo. Results of antigen arrived 45 minutes later. #11101
Collinson - Test to Release at LHR T2. Good trip out! Very efficient service and well organised. Used BA discount. Results by end of day. Excellent. #lhrsfo
DAM - Test to Release in Fulham (they have many locations) - the cheapest fast turnaround TTR we have found. They promise 24 hours but in reality me, my wife, and my son (on different days) have received results inside of 12 hours. Very efficient staff as well. Princes outside of Central London as low as 99 GBP. Fulham is 129 GBP. #KSVVZ2015
Boots/Source Bioscience - days 2&8. Both packs sent in the same mail, waiting at the isolation address. Dropped off at postbox at 4pm, result back next day between 4 and 5 pm, very effective. Bought from Boots, £160, but same package sold directly bu Source Bioscience is just £120. Aaargh! Instructions said nasal and throat swabs, did only nasal and marked accordingly, no issues. #WilcoRoger
Collinsons/Stansted walkin TTR - test taken 1:30 pm, email with results 10:10 pm same day If the BA20OFF doesn't work (didn't work for us) there's another discount on the airport's site #WilcoRoger
Ordered Day-2 kit from Chronomics a week before our return for £18.99. Duly dispatched day we were returning to UK, so arrived on day following return. Reasonably simple process to do test and upload -ve result picture. Not sure where +ve result would have led to... #EsherFlyer
Hale Clinic testing centre (near Oxford Circus) - While not the least expensive, appoint schedules are accurate and results returned in promised timeframe. I've used the clinic for Day 2 tests (twice) and antigen test for US (once). I would def utilize again. #ecaarch
Halo at T5 (Sofitel) - Day 2 PCR spit test. Took the test 7pm, results arrived 7am the next day. No queues but a slightly awkward process to follow.
Useful data sources:
New cases per 100k - 7 days: https://covid19.who.int/table
New tests per 1000 - 7 days: https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-testing
Vaccination doses per 100: https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
Sequenced samples uploaded to GISAID: https://www.gisaid.org/index.php?id=208
NHS Track & Trace data (positivity rates for arriving passengers are published every three weeks, so if you can't find the data in the current release it will be in one of the previous two) https://www.gov.uk/government/collec...weekly-reports https://assets.publishing.service.go...ut_week_50.ods
UK daily COVID data https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/?_ga...827.1594116739
Risk assessment methodology to inform international travel traffic light system
Data informing international travel traffic-light risk assessments
Testing Terminology
Notes which may assist with understanding which tests to use and with "reuse" of UK tests for other countries regulations:
- LFT: Lateral Flow Test - A rapid antigen test using nasal / throat swab typically performed by the traveler at home, hotel, etc using simple disposable device. Usually tests the "outer shell" of the nucleus (which causes the symptoms and is reasonably stable across variants) and not the "spikes" (which allow new variants to invade more easily), so gives a positive result for many variants. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-...d_antigen_test)
- PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction - A laboratory based test which looks at the nucleus of the virus to determine which specific variant it is. After a positive LFT test ("I have some form of COVID") a PCR test ("You have the Gamma variant") allows identification and tracking of new variants to see if they are likely to become a "variant of concern". (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction)
- NAAT: Nucleic Acid Amplification Test - A general class of laboratory based tests which includes PCR, LAMP, etc tests. (See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019...b/naats.html)
UK arrivals - pre-departure, quarantine and post-arrival [currently no requirements]
Aug 24, 2020, 12:19 pm
#3451
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,017
The only reason for my optimism is with forthcoming quicker TAT for covid tests and different methods of doing it (Saliva). I am hoping this will ramp up lowering the positively rate.
Aug 24, 2020, 12:20 pm
#3452
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,536
- Obviously, testing is expensive (for countries with little or no money in the coffers) and requires a decent public health infrastructure;
- The younger a country's population, the greater the likely proportion of infected people who will be asymptomatic;
- The poorer and the most promiscuous the living area, the more hypothetical covid victims and their families would likely be ostracized within their environment, making it particularly punishing to risk being identified as infected in the first place;
- Conversely, there are many countries in this world where public authorities are seen as a source of fear rather than a source of health, especially by poorer and more vulnerable populations. With this and the above in mind, don't expect people who feel that they may be infected but are "coping" to seek confirmation that they may be ill;
- Populations which are typically excluded from health processes in general have pretty much zero chance of being included in being caught by the net of covid testing, regardless of whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic;
In a nutshell - and I realise that this is not an easy thing to say - the sad reality is that it likely that at least 3/4 of the world countries have covid statistics likely to be wholly undependable. Again, Greece is a bit of a different problem, but that may mean that a number of poorer countries main remain under quarantine well after their official covid statistics have gone well within "officially" acceptable limits.
Aug 24, 2020, 12:28 pm
#3453
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Silicon wasteland
Programs: UA 1KMM
Posts: 1,381
I am NOT saying that more rapid testing is a bad thing -- especially if it lets what contact tracers we have get those exposed folks isolated which reduces asymptomatic transmission and ........
But, the new rapid/easier tests are going to (initially) make it harder to meet the international travel requirements, not easier.
Aug 24, 2020, 12:30 pm
#3454
FlyerTalk Evangelist, Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Somewhere between 0 and 13,000 metres high
Programs: AF/KL Life Plat, BA GGL+GfL, ALL Plat, Hilton Diam, Marriott Gold, blablablah, etc
Posts: 30,536
Even when it does (or indeed before it does), my guess is that in the UK, it might come with a reduced length of quarantine, but as discussed upthread, I'm almost certain that that would not be an end to it - more like test on arival, test after 5-7 days and quarantine reduced to somewhere around 7-10 days. The US stats are better than before but they are still very high, and they will remain so for the foreseable future. Indeed, chances are that they will increase again (as in much of Europe) come the Autumn with people spending more time in close contact with others inside (transportation, offices, etc) compared to the summer. where more interaction takes place outside (less risky) and some people can ultimately isolate. The bleak bottom line is that there are still significant parts of the US which choose not to impose regulation which would limit virus circulation as the powers to be consider that it is an infringement to individual freedoms. As long as that is the case, the virus will just circulate.
Aug 24, 2020, 12:40 pm
#3455
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,017
Unfortunately, my impression is that the dominant perception in the medical world is still that saliva testing is not sufficiently reliable to be trusted. I really hope that things improve and that it changes soon as it will make testing itself a lot less unpleasant, but I can't see it coming for several months.
Even when it does (or indeed before it does), my guess is that in the UK, it might come with a reduced length of quarantine, but as discussed upthread, I'm almost certain that that would not be an end to it - more like test on arival, test after 5-7 days and quarantine reduced to somewhere around 7-10 days. The US stats are better than before but they are still very high, and they will remain so for the foreseable future. Indeed, chances are that they will increase again (as in much of Europe) come the Autumn with people spending more time in close contact with others inside (transportation, offices, etc) compared to the summer. where more interaction takes place outside (less risky) and some people can ultimately isolate. The bleak bottom line is that there are still significant parts of the US which choose not to impose regulation which would limit virus circulation as the powers to be consider that it is an infringement to individual freedoms. As long as that is the case, the virus will just circulate.
Even when it does (or indeed before it does), my guess is that in the UK, it might come with a reduced length of quarantine, but as discussed upthread, I'm almost certain that that would not be an end to it - more like test on arival, test after 5-7 days and quarantine reduced to somewhere around 7-10 days. The US stats are better than before but they are still very high, and they will remain so for the foreseable future. Indeed, chances are that they will increase again (as in much of Europe) come the Autumn with people spending more time in close contact with others inside (transportation, offices, etc) compared to the summer. where more interaction takes place outside (less risky) and some people can ultimately isolate. The bleak bottom line is that there are still significant parts of the US which choose not to impose regulation which would limit virus circulation as the powers to be consider that it is an infringement to individual freedoms. As long as that is the case, the virus will just circulate.
Yeah I"m screwed. IST here I come!
Aug 24, 2020, 1:36 pm
#3456
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: BRS
Programs: BA Gold, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 4,993
To be honest I am not sure and would open to another poster to confirm. Might be worth looking at the post above about the US to see what HMG are looking for.
Aug 24, 2020, 1:52 pm
#3457
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
Aug 24, 2020, 2:50 pm
#3458
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,811
If we look at Portugal (but ignore Canada.....) then I think you are looking - on the 14 day figures - to be under 30 and stay under 30 for several weeks. At the moment Oman is 44, and it was 80 just a week back. So it's some weeks off, I would say, and being charitable with it.
Aug 24, 2020, 3:01 pm
#3459
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Wesley Chapel, FL
Programs: American Airlines
Posts: 30,017
Aug 24, 2020, 3:10 pm
#3460
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,811
For England the Infection Survey - which captures people a semi-random then weighted cross section of the country - the figure is 2,400 new infections a day. This includes asymptomatics, but excludes the now very small population in hospitals / care homes / hospices. If they were tested before entering hospital they would be in the figures. This is data for 7 to 13 August
The UK daily figure, used in the ECDC survey and the daily charts in this thread - is bouncing all over the place for England at the moment. Today is 551 averaged over the last 7 days, but that is the lowest it has been for a while, so perhaps 900 would be a more representative figure for the 7 to 13 August. Which therefore suggests England is catching 35 to 40% of cases. Anecdotally we are catching an increasing proportion of asymptomatics in the last month, presumably thanks to the increased level of contact tracing in that time frame.
Aug 24, 2020, 3:28 pm
#3461
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: California
Programs: AA EXP; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
Posts: 1,968
Aug 24, 2020, 3:34 pm
#3462
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,553
If Turkey survives two more months, maybe my October visit will be there, as much as I'm loathed to give Erdogan any money.
Aug 24, 2020, 4:10 pm
#3463
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: LHR
Programs: Accor PLT,Thai Silver, HH Dia, SPG Titanium (LT Gold), Aegean Gold, BA Silver
Posts: 5,120
4 weeks will do me as off to Bodrum
Aug 24, 2020, 6:18 pm
#3464
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London, Sth Africa or LAS
Programs: VS Silver, BA Blue - finally; but hotels.com Gold :)
Posts: 1,858
That's now a published figure for England, and we will know the UK figure in about 3 weeks, since the ONS Infection Survey is being expanded to Scotland and Northern Ireland. I actually think the figure for the UK will be very similar to England, almost all the other figures are, when adjusted for population size.
For England the Infection Survey - which captures people a semi-random then weighted cross section of the country - the figure is 2,400 new infections a day. This includes asymptomatics, but excludes the now very small population in hospitals / care homes / hospices. If they were tested before entering hospital they would be in the figures. This is data for 7 to 13 August
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For England the Infection Survey - which captures people a semi-random then weighted cross section of the country - the figure is 2,400 new infections a day. This includes asymptomatics, but excludes the now very small population in hospitals / care homes / hospices. If they were tested before entering hospital they would be in the figures. This is data for 7 to 13 August
.
I think the 2,400 doesn't allow for the PCR testing false negatives so the true daily infections would be higher (up to around 15%); I'm also slightly suspicious the 15% wouldn't include all asymptomatics as ongoing debates as to whether PCR can pick all asymptomatics up.
The reports on the Survey do carry some info on asymptomatics (72% last time?) but it is limited in that it is survey info and effectively what's left after counting the 28% self-declared symptomatics. So the 72% will likely be too high, which is a big shame, as a good dataset on that aspect of Covid-19 would be very handy.
The Survey helps demonstrate that the daily stats for positive tests are "getting there" in covering ever increasing percentages of the infectees.
Aug 25, 2020, 1:32 am
#3465
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Kazakhstan
Programs: BA Gold, AirAstana Silver (much use as chocolate teapot)
Posts: 867
The reports on the Survey do carry some info on asymptomatics (72% last time?) but it is limited in that it is survey info and effectively what's left after counting the 28% self-declared symptomatics. So the 72% will likely be too high, which is a big shame, as a good dataset on that aspect of Covid-19 would be very handy.
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