Day 2 Covid Travel Test

[puzzled54]

Back from my first Covid trip abroad, luckily before the new rules came in. So tomorrow I have to do a day 2 lateral flow test. But if the incubation period is 5 to 6 days, then a day 2 test doesn’t seem enough.

[bobbinwales]

It should detect any infection picked up in the last few days before you flew back but wont detect any you picked up in the last few days and especially on the flight back . Thats why there was aday 8 test and its being reintrodoced. I think the day 8 test was needed but was dropped because it was badly affecting travel industry and passengers were unhappy at the hassle and cost. Its one where you cant pelase everyone. And as newjudge keeps saying in his view diseases will spread so why try to stop it and testing isnt needed just let the economy take priority

[THECORBYLOON]

As long as you had both jags you could have been tested on the day you arrived back in England.

The guidance states,

"When you arrive in England – fully vaccinated – arrival before 30 November only

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test ***on or before day 2.***[Emphasis added] The day you arrive is day 0.

This is the lateral flow or PCR test that you booked before travel.

If the test result is negative, you do not need to self-isolate."

[puzzled54]

Test was fine, if anyone was wondering

[Hopkirk]

Oh good.

[Etch]

Did you fly back? As you say, the incubation period could be 5 to 6 days, so if there was someone positive on the same flight...

[puzzled54]

Yes, so I am not mixing this week, just to be on the safe side

[New Judge]

//....testing isnt needed just let the economy take priority//

Please don't keep attributing that to me, bob. My view is that the disease will spread whatever measures are introduced (bar confining everybody to their homes for the foreseeable future) and that mass testing and isolation is causing enormous harm to the economy, but also to the health and wellbeing of the entire population. NOT just the economy.

[237SJ]

I came back from holiday this morning. Did a PCR on the way home from the airport. The couple sitting behind me on the aircraft coughed for the whole 8 hours of the flight and their cough sounded horrendous. Bit pointless doing a PCR at this stage but the whole thing is just a box ticking exercise

[bobbinwales]

//that mass testing and isolation is causing enormous harm to the economy,//
So why do some employers require employees to do a regular LFT test and send in 'evidence' before there allowed in? They dont want infected people in there as they infect others. Its bad for business in there view

[237SJ]

The day 2 PCR tests were brought in due to the Omicron variant. If and when the vaccination proves to work with that variant, I wonder how long it will be before the Government changes the rules back to day 2 LF tests? Don't hold your breath..

[jno]

how long will it take to prove that a vaccine works? I don't think they even know what variant anyone has yet (I think that's what theprof said earlier), so there's that to be sorted first. But even when that's done, how do you know the vaccine is stopping Omicron? Do you wait a week and say it must be okay, no vaccinated person has caught it? Two weeks? A month? I suspect it has to take quite a while.