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Hi,
Has anyone been abroad recently?
Who did you use for your departure test? How did it go?
Cheers,
Mick
I used Chronomics in the summer, they were fine and not silly expensive.
We've used chronomics and randox. Both were fine. Both issued the nonsense pdf certificate instantly for lateral flow. And Randox were amazing over xmas/New year for a PCR via their drop box (24hr turnaround when everywhere else was effectively closed for days because no post). I chose chronomics from a recommendation on here (from @retrorick I think?). We used randox because they were the only people open when we needed it (and they were also the cheapest remarkably).
But why are you asking about PCR? That's extra expense and hassle if Madeira will accept a lateral flow - and they will (even for unvaccinated) won't they?
We use DocTap never had any issues with them
Boots are crap. Randox seem to be v good.
I figured that we would get a PCR because it would give us more time. I think they can be 72 hours before your fly but lateral flow has to be within 48.
I can't see that now, I just see :
"4. Testing for COVID-19
All passengers who, upon disembarking at the airports of the Autonomous Region of Madeira from any territory out of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, carry a negative Rapid Antigen Test (TRAg) for COVID-19, carried out within 48 hours prior to boarding, in laboratories certified by national or international authorities, can proceed to their destination."
I thought I had to go somewhere and get I done by a professional, not just get the results from a lab?
This is what gov.uk says:
"You may have a RT-PCR or an antigen test. Make sure the test you choose meets the following criteria:
all tests must be carried out by trained healthcare professionals. Self-administered tests are not acceptable
antigen tests must be completed within 48 hours of departure. They must meet the standards set out in the EU common list of Rapid Antigen Tests
RT-PCR tests must be completed within 72 hours of departure" ( https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/portugal/entry-requirements)
Yeah, so I can't do the test myself.
We used dam health before we went away at start of Dec. They have a couple of test sites local to us, didn't want to risk postal as it feels like the timing is quite tight. That said only one of us ever received our post trip result.
We did pcr even though lft would have sufficed as I didn't want to get caught out with the rapidly changing requirements at the time.
Lft was £20ish and PCR £70ish
Oh and on the way out Iceland checked documents, on the way back UK border control checked nothing 😂
Just got back from Cape Verde. Big fail from Chronomics on the 2 day PCR return tests. 2 haven't turned up and my wife's kit sat in the post box from middle of last week so probably invalid. Daughter and I have had to spend £240 and visit a Crona clinic yesterday so 7 year old could go to school today and I could go to work.
The wife is probably going to have spend £120 this pm so she can work tomorrow.
My next holiday thankfully doesn't have any test entry requirements regarding covid that applies to me other than a questionnaire.
I currently have a chronomics 'fit to return' test booked (but will cancel if the rules change before I go).
Not had any issues with chronomics over recent holidays.
Booked a Randox airport pcr test on return to the UK and hopefully will have the results within 24hrs shortening or extending my isolation period depending on the result!
Royal Mail seems to be the weak leak for a lot of the providers so we avoided those and used Randox and their drop box system for our return to UK on / before day 2 test instead.
Very impressed, we got out of the airport at 9pm on 27th December and dropped the PCR tests off at 9:45pm at a drop box that closed at 10:00pm. They went to a lab in Ireland overnight and the results were with us and we were out of isolation 12 hours later, so essentially we had to isolate while we slept.
If you need an in person pre-departure test I'd probably pick a LF one rather than PCR even if the window is a bit tighter. PCR tests need to go away to an actual lab to be tested, where the LF ones will just be someone looking at a test and deciding if it has 1 or 2 red lines on it - which needs to be done shortly after taking the test so the result should get back much quicker.
The ridiculous thing is that my wife is a nurse, she has done thousands of these tests and yet we have to use a "trained healthcare professional".
We used Randox and they were excellent - their 3 hour test came back when it said it would, giving us leeway to make sure we could get another test if it came back as not valid and still meet the US's entry requirements (test within 1 day of arrival). We didn't risk a postal or drop box test -Randox's in person tests were actually cheaper than their home test kits.
Our friend's family used DAM health for their Christmas trip to the US and their results didn't come back on time and so they missed their trip.
Probably doesn't make any odds but Randox were one of the companies paying fees to MP's for creating government policy
The ridiculous thing is that my wife is a nurse, she has done thousands of these tests and yet we have to use a “trained healthcare professional”.
It is not really the users' medical skills that are being questioned (after all medical professionals and not lab technicians!) - the point is that a trusted, independent person performs and reads the result. I'm sure you can see that some people would be so keen to make their journey that they may choose not to see a very weak line on their own/family member's test.
I've been away about a dozen times in the last year, always just used the cheapest provider and only had an issue once where they didn't bother to send our test. By the time they told us that it was a week later and I'd done a couple other tests so just didn't bother. Googled the company and lots of articles mentioning them as scammers came up so now I use the cheapest but google the name
Basically you're just paying for a code to go on the form really, common sense would say to do an LFT as soon as you get home anyway and if you have symptoms don't go out
So can I just use Randox to do a lateral flow at the airport before I depart?
So can someone just sense check this for me, please.
Departure:
I can just book a pre-departure antigen test through https://man.randox.com/#ardp
I just book a slot a couple of hours before my flight and get it done at the airport.
Arrival.
We still need to do Day 2 lateral flow tests.
I just need to book a test at home kit from https://covid.randox.com/day-2-pcr-tests/
Cheers,
Mick
I know Randox was caught up in all the recent government sleaze / contracts stuff but I have used them many times now (PCR drop-box service) and every time their service has been impeccable.
Check to see if your airline has a discount code with them as this can save you quite a bit of money.
geomickb - book one more than two hours before your flight as ideally you don't want to be going through security whilst still awaiting the result. The tests are done in the halls outside. I had mine done at Manchester and the test centre was on the arrivals level. The person conducting the lft said that the drive through option at the airport had been closed because of hugh queues! I got my results in the check in queue but with an lft you pretty much see the results before you leave the tent...