Covid restrictions abroad: updates & observations

[Paul Kelly]

except on flights to/from Germany where FFP2 are required by law.

Is this new? I've been on quite a few flights to/from Germany (British Airways and Ryanair), most recently middle of July, and have always just worn a cloth mask. There was a while when FFP2 masks were required in Berlin Brandenburg airport but that requirement has been downgraded to standard medical masks since late June / early July, to the best of my knowledge?

 

[SouthEastBuses]

'Medical' masks just means standard surgical masks, not FFP2/3 masks (for the differences, see this article)

I went to Germany recently and most people were wearing standard masks. My vaccination certificate and locator form were checked before departure and after arriving in Germany.

I came back into Heathrow and found very short queues and the e-gate let me through without a manual check of the forms being required, so I was able to get the HEX train 75 minutes earlier than the one I had earmarked as the latest to get my onward connection.

So does this mean that when I go to Italy this December I will need to wear a blue surgical mask??

Which would be strange considering that N95s (the ones I have) are fine for use within domestic places in Italy that mandate masks, e.g. shops, supermarkets, public transport etc.

 

[Butts]

I'm afraid they can rule on what kind of masks must be worn on flights to and from Italy and in Italian airspace - on pain of cancelling the flights. However, whether or not they will actually enforce it is entirely another matter. I know, from more than forty years experience, that what Italian law dictates and what actually happens are two very different things.

I went to Italy a couple of times last Year.

There was a crazy rule onboard about all coats and jumpers having to be in the overhead lockers and not on the floor or adjacent seat !!

Second time landed in Verona and the Italians had just shut the testing facility at the Airport a few days before introducing mandatory testing on arrival. No one at the Airport in or out was interested in any of the paperwork laboriously filled out at Heathrow. You were advised to get a test locally (on the Italian Govt Site) but no one even mentioned it at the immigration control or anywhere else.

Could have clamped down a bit a year on ?

 

[kevin_roche]

I needed one for Germany. Boots and other pharmacys sell them.

I have been to every Pharmacy in the area and there are none available anywhere. They all seem to be sold out.

Edit:
I have now ordered some from Amazon.

 

[island]

Is this new? I've been on quite a few flights to/from Germany (British Airways and Ryanair), most recently middle of July, and have always just worn a cloth mask. There was a while when FFP2 masks were required in Berlin Brandenburg airport but that requirement has been downgraded to standard medical masks since late June / early July, to the best of my knowledge?

I can only go off what I read online, with the rules changing weekly it is eminently possible that what I read is out of date.

 

[Paul Kelly]

I read the rules again last night after replying to you. In Berlin, theoretically you must wear an FFP2 mask in airports. But there are no longer any airports in Berlin itself! In Brandenburg (where the new airport serving Berlin is) you may wear an FFP2 or normal medical mask! I suspect there are similar confusing discrepancies across all the German states...

 

[317666]

I read the rules again last night after replying to you. In Berlin, theoretically you must wear an FFP2 mask in airports. But there are no longer any airports in Berlin itself! In Brandenburg (where the new airport serving Berlin is) you may wear an FFP2 or normal medical mask! I suspect there are similar confusing discrepancies across all the German states...

To the best of my knowledge, the only German states insisting on FFP2 masks are Berlin and Bavaria - and Bavaria are thinking about ditching the requirement in favour of surgical masks like the rest of Germany.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

There was a crazy rule onboard about all coats and jumpers having to be in the overhead lockers and not on the floor or adjacent seat !!

Isn't that more about minimising the number of loose items in the cabin in case of turbulence?

 

[kristiang85]

Isn't that more about minimising the number of loose items in the cabin in case of turbulence?

Yes I'm pretty sure this is standard for most flights I've been on.

 

[Butts]

Isn't that more about minimising the number of loose items in the cabin in case of turbulence?

Possibly, but when the BA Cabin Staff announced it the reason given was to comply with Italian Regulations.

I have not heard a similar announcement going to Italy before or on any other Airlines to other destinations with regard to coats and jumpers.

 

[kristiang85]

A new colleague just moved here from Peru and said the hotel quarantine on arrival was a truly horrible experience. I feel quite ashamed that this is his first experience of our country.

On the other hand, another colleague has family from South Africa visiting and they have avoided quarantine by going to the EU first. Instead of travelling a month in the UK as planned, now half their trip has involved spending their money in Romania as it was a lot cheaper and nicer for them to do than be holed up in a qaurantine hotel. It's not quite the Brexit boost I think the Conservatives wanted...

Finally, one of my other colleagues has been to Germany and Japan for a month (again, mainly a seeing family trip as they are a German-Japanese couple). For their family of four, they have shelled out over £1000 on tests and even had to do daily video proof of their 14-day quarantine in Japan (albeit at home).

 

[adc82140]

I really don't know why anyone would do hotel quarantine. Surely you just need to go in via France, where there is no quarantine for double jabbed people, even from their Red List countries. You can then have a nice 10 day holiday there, probably costing less than the UK hotel package, and at the end come in from France quarantine free.

 

[kevin_roche]

I really don't know why anyone would do hotel quarantine. Surely you just need to go in via France, where there is no quarantine for double jabbed people, even from their Red List countries. You can then have a nice 10 day holiday there, probably costing less than the UK hotel package, and at the end come in from France quarantine free.

That would be my plan. I guess some people may not have the choice because of Visa requirements or being unable to change flights.

 

[Cdd89]

I really don't know why anyone would do hotel quarantine. Surely you just need to go in via France, where there is no quarantine for double jabbed people, even from their Red List countries

I strongly suspect that this is exactly what the U.K. wants people to do. The last thing they want is to accommodate people in hotels with the poor publicity that comes with that, as things get back to normal the number of hotels willing to participate will drop off too pushing up the costs. It’s less risky to let some other country assume the risk of whatever variant/higher case rate we’re trying to avoid.

“you can’t enter the country full stop if you’ve been in places XYZ” is politically unacceptable but I’d suggest there’s not much difference between that policy and the current one with hotel quarantine.

 

[island]

“you can’t enter the country full stop if you’ve been in places XYZ” is politically unacceptable but I’d suggest there’s not much difference between that policy and the current one with hotel quarantine.

You’d better let Mark Drakeford know as Wales has had exactly that policy since February.

 

[Butts]

You’d better let Mark Drakeford know as Wales has had exactly that policy since February.

Has anyone being paying any attention to it though ?

Off to Ireland again on Sunday and hopefully the process will be as seamless as it was last week - ie no physical checks whatsoever.

 

[plugwash]

I really don't know why anyone would do hotel quarantine. Surely you just need to go in via France, where there is no quarantine for double jabbed people, even from their Red List countries. You can then have a nice 10 day holiday there, probably costing less than the UK hotel package, and at the end come in from France quarantine free.

The risk with that strategy is that the rules may change while the strategy is in progress.

 

[danm14]

The risk with that strategy is that the rules may change while the strategy is in progress.

They can't if you choose a 10-day holiday in the Republic of Ireland instead of one in France.

Admittedly Ireland does have a red-list, but it's one-third of the length of the UK's, and hotel quarantine is only required for the unvaccinated (vaccinated people can quarantine anywhere, and can end quarantine with a free test on day 5 - albeit unfortunately of the seven inch swab back through the nose into the throat variety)

(For anyone spotting the obvious back-door into the UK, I will add that Ireland supposedly routinely supplies a copy of all passenger locator forms to the Department of Health in Northern Ireland)

 

[island]

Has anyone being paying any attention to it though ?

Off to Ireland again on Sunday and hopefully the process will be as seamless as it was last week - ie no physical checks whatsoever.

I’ll potentially be passing you in the sky in the opposite direction.

Just need to work out where to drop off my VAT refund voucher for the new Samsonite backpack I bought

 

[johncrossley]

I’ll potentially be passing you in the sky in the opposite direction.

Just need to work out where to drop off my VAT refund voucher for the new Samsonite backpack I bought

You found something worth buying in Ireland? Normally prices there are considerably higher than the UK.

 

[island]

You found something worth buying in Ireland? Normally prices there are considerably higher than the UK.

After the previously-mentioned VAT refund it was cheaper.

 

[Jamiescott1]

I'm looking at going to Paris for the weekend in October as I'm participating in the paris marathon. Leaving UK Saturday, returning Sunday.
Can I take my return to the uk test in the uk before I leave to go to France as I'll only be in France for less than 48 hours ?

 

[Watershed]

I'm looking at going to Paris for the weekend in October as I'm participating in the paris marathon. Leaving UK Saturday, returning Sunday.
Can I take my return to the uk test in the uk before I leave to go to France as I'll only be in France for less than 48 hours ?

Yes, for short trips to destinations that require a test, you can just take the one test, valid for both your journey there and back.

 

[island]

Yes, for short trips to destinations that require a test, you can just take the one test, valid for both your journey there and back.

There is no requirement for a test to travel from the UK to France*, but a test taken before leaving is still fine to come back on provided that it's within the prescribed time limit.

*Unless the passenger is aged 12-17 or is unvaccinated, but in the latter case they are liable to be refused entry to France.

 

[Yew]

but a test taken before leaving is still fine to come back on provided that it's within the prescribed time limit.

Seems like a bit for a farce to me!

 

[Cdd89]

Yes, it would be much better to simply say that a pre-return test is only required if you have been outside the UK for more than the past 3 days. That would help to enable short breaks with no reduction in risk. The problem is that transport operators are responsible for enforcing this and they would have no way of knowing you had left the UK fewer than 3 days ago...

 

[nlogax]

Anyone here got any recommendations for PCR fit to travel tests that are ultra reliable in terms of results timing? Sorting it out before a trip a couple of weeks from now, and the 'result within 72 hours of flight' thing needs to be bang on. Ta.

 

[Cdd89]

Anyone here got any recommendations for PCR fit to travel tests that are ultra reliable in terms of results timing?

Yes, but you wouldn’t like the price. The express services are in the hundreds of pounds.

If you want a reasonable balance between price and speed I’d recommend Randox from experience. They have always produced results by the end of the next day when using their drop boxes. But it’s obviously not certain and you won’t find anywhere making guarantees for less than hundreds of pounds…

 

[nlogax]

If you want a reasonable balance between price and speed I’d recommend Randox from experience.

Thank you, yes, I'm considering Randox although slightly concerned by the multiple first-hand accounts of piles of test kits awaiting return and processing being left at drop-off points.

 

[Watershed]

Thank you, yes, I'm considering Randox although slightly concerned by the multiple first-hand accounts of piles of test kits awaiting return and processing being left at drop-off points.

Are you sure you need a PCR test for where you're going? Most places will accept a lateral flow test.