UK "Day 2" COVID Test in Southampton - by post or in person?

[frankp01]

We're sailing (fingers crossed) out of Southampton in December. We're flying in from the States, a few days early. I realize that things may likely change, but I'd still like to confirm what seems to be the case at the moment:  And that is that the 'Day 2' tests are, apparently, self-administered and the test is sent via the post. I was hoping to find a location in Southampton that actually did the test in person (rather than worry about the test being delivered correctly to our hotel, and the hotel not misplacing our tests). I saw that Boots is an authorized location, and I thought, 'Aha, we can schedule an appointment and walk into Boots!'. But, no. Boots also mails the test to you. Has anyone had experience with the tests, or have any advice?

[frankp01]

After quite a bit more searching, I did find one in-person clinic in Southampton. It's in a convenient location, too - the Westquay mall:

Southampton International Arrivals Covid-19 PCR Day 2 Only (In-Clinic Appointment) - The Regenerative Clinic

[gumshoe958]

The Day 2 testing regime is due to change soon, so please don’t invest too much time in researching it yet.

 

At the moment it has to be a PCR test but the UK government has said that will change to a cheaper, quicker and easier lateral flow antigen test by the end of October.

 

However as yet it hasn’t released any definitive information about the system for buying, registering and verifying them. So I’d suggest checking back in a month or so, by which time we should know the full details.

 

Edited October 10, 2021 by gumshoe958

[frankp01]

1 hour ago, gumshoe958 said:

At the moment it has to be a PCR test but the UK government has said that will change to a cheaper, quicker and easier lateral flow antigen test by the end of October.

 

Yes, I was aware of that. I didn't intend to purchase any tests, just yet. But I expect that a testing requirement of some sort will still be in place in December. Regardless of the test type, I'd rather not have to rely on the post to take it.

[renji]

This is very helpful. I land on Oct 31 and going straight to Southampton for the Nov 1 trip, so was a bit perplexed with how to do a second day test when I’m only in the country for 24 hours before embarkation.  

[frankp01]

1 hour ago, renji said:

I land on Oct 31 and going straight to Southampton for the Nov 1 trip

We have a bit more time: 3 days in Southampton between our arrival and departure on the QM2. But I didn't want to have to have the test mailed to the hotel and hope that it actually arrived in time, since it was a relatively short window.  In your case, you have to have booked the test (so that you can enter it on the Passenger Locator Form), but you'll be out of the country before day 2 (the day you land is day 0), so you may not actually need to take it. If you've paid for it, though, I guess you might as well get your return on investment.

[renji]

I plan to stay in the UK the 15th through the 18th, so perhaps that’s when I will have to take it, upon disembarkation?  Hopefully someone can advise when we get to the ship!  Also if we want to leave the ship November 12 in Lisbon, it looks like we may need a test…it’s all a bit confusing. 

[frankp01]

8 minutes ago, renji said:

Hopefully someone can advise when we get to the ship!  

I'm not sure you can leave it that late. You need to fill out a 'Passenger Locator Form' (PLF) for contact tracing. (info here: Fill in your passenger locator form - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) within 48 hours of your arrival. One of the pieces of information, without which you can't submit the form, is the Order Number obtained when having booked, and paid for, the Day 2 test. The Day 2 test has to be within the two days, so if you're returning later, you might have to take it on Day 1. It's all very confusing, because there are some exemptions (for example, you can submit the PLF earlier than 48 hours, I believe, if you are on a cruise).

[frankp01]

Here's one more thought: I believe there are testing locations at Heathrow. Since you have such a short layover on your arrival, you might be able to book the test at one of the Heathrow testing facilities.

[renji]

Thank you, that is great advice!  I will look into both the Heathrow and Southampton options.  Next to figure out how to get from Heathrow to the hotel in Southampton.  It’s obviously my first time!  (I’ve been on QM2 3x but never on QE, hope I get it right…)

[frankp01]

I can tell you what the 3 of us are using:  The National Express coach from Heathrow to Southampton Coach Station. There's hourly service and It's cheap:  as low as £15.

 

You can read about it/book here: Coach Travel & Airport Transfers | National Express

 

I'd prefer to take the train, which is what I usually take. But that's when I'm starting from central London. Taking the train from Heathrow would involve at least two trains, and probably a connecting journey on the tube (which would be the worst part).

 

The Heathrow page on testing is:

Covid 19 test | Heathrow

There are two outfits listed as doing 'Day 2' tests. One with 'home' testing and one with an onsite location.

Edited October 10, 2021 by frankp01

[artyhues]

I’m also arriving the UK 1 day before departure of my cruise. My understanding is I still pay for the 2 day test, and get a booking reference number to enter in the Passenger Locator form. But don’t take the test because I’m gone. 

[frankp01]

That's my understanding, as well. It's because your departure could be delayed, meaning that you'd still be in the country on day two.

[Solent Richard]

My wife and I have just returned from a river cruise. Prior to departure we needed a test and used a most efficient one with ...

 

https://www.dam-health.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwqp-LBhDQARIsAO0a6aLTzJdMvnIt1xbU0yrCdr_iVxSUxXjqG24xHdoqIA2pR4mhDQ-DExEaAg26EALw_wcB

 

They have a clinic in the Shirley district of Southampton (walkable).

 

Obviously it was cheaper for us to use a postal one on our return which we have now done...

 

 

.....but for your convenience and peace of mind you may like to look at Dam Health route.

[gumshoe958]

Confirmation this morning from the UK government that the “Day 2” test for fully vaccinated arrivals just needs to be a lateral flow rather than a PCR from October 24th.

 

We’re still awaiting the details of how the process will work but it sounds like you’ll need to upload a photo of the result online.

[frankp01]

20 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

They have a clinic in the Shirley district of Southampton (walkable).

Thanks. The list on the gov.uk site simply lists corporate names. One would have to work through the entire list of approved vendors to identify which have in person sites, and in turn, which of those are in Southampton. It's good having another option. 

 

FWIW, there's a very thorough discussion of testing options in the UK Home Ports forum.

[IB2]

The "Day 2" test title is misleading - it's actually a "within two days" test; you can take and return it the moment you arrive.

[renji]

On 10/14/2021 at 1:19 AM, artyhues said:

I’m also arriving the UK 1 day before departure of my cruise. My understanding is I still pay for the 2 day test, and get a booking reference number to enter in the Passenger Locator form. But don’t take the test because I’m gone. 

May I ask where you saw that if you leave the day after arrival, you fill out the form with the test but don’t actually take the test?  We arrive on October 31 and depart November 1.  We also disembark November 15, and my partner flies home November 16. I remain until November 18 for work, so presumably he never takes the test, whereas I take it on the 16th or 17th.  I’m struggling to figure out if I need two tests or one test is sufficient.  

[IB2]

27 minutes ago, renji said:

May I ask where you saw that if you leave the day after arrival, you fill out the form with the test but don’t actually take the test?  We arrive on October 31 and depart November 1.  We also disembark November 15, and my partner flies home November 16. I remain until November 18 for work, so presumably he never takes the test, whereas I take it on the 16th or 17th.  I’m struggling to figure out if I need two tests or one test is sufficient.  

This is nonsense.  You have to do the test by Day Two - you can do it earlier - and are required to do it even if you will be in the UK for less than two days - as it quite specifically says in the government guidance, which is here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19

[renji]

11 minutes ago, IB2 said:

This is nonsense.  You have to do the test by Day Two - you can do it earlier - and are required to do it even if you will be in the UK for less than two days - as it quite specifically says in the government guidance, which is here:

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Well, I can see the other poster’s confusion, because the guidance says even if you leave on day 1, you still need to book and pay for the day 2 test, but it doesn’t say you need to actually take it!  Ironically at the Southampton providers I found, I need to pretend I’m flying in a day earlier than I actually am to even get an appointment for the morning of the cruise.  

[IB2]

20 minutes ago, renji said:

Well, I can see the other poster’s confusion, because the guidance says even if you leave on day 1, you still need to book and pay for the day 2 test, but it doesn’t say you need to actually take it!  Ironically at the Southampton providers I found, I need to pretend I’m flying in a day earlier than I actually am to even get an appointment for the morning of the cruise.  

Yet the very next paragraph in the guidance specifically says that you have to take the test, within two days.

 

Whether you would get away with not taking it, particularly if you had left the country, is another question, but not the one being asked!  If you have paid for it, you might as well take it - in the unlikely event you (would have) test(ed) positive, do you really not want to know and risk putting others’ health at risk?

Edited October 23, 2021 by IB2

[renji]

1 hour ago, IB2 said:

Yet the very next paragraph in the guidance specifically says that you have to take the test, within two days.

 

Whether you would get away with not taking it, particularly if you had left the country, is another question, but not the one being asked!  If you have paid for it, you might as well take it - in the unlikely event you (would have) test(ed) positive, do you really not want to know and risk putting others’ health at risk?

 

[renji]

2 hours ago, IB2 said:

Yet the very next paragraph in the guidance specifically says that you have to take the test, within two days.

 

Whether you would get away with not taking it, particularly if you had left the country, is another question, but not the one being asked!  If you have paid for it, you might as well take it - in the unlikely event you (would have) test(ed) positive, do you really not want to know and risk putting others’ health at risk?

A number of sources say you don’t need to take the test if you leave day 0 or 1–see below from govt site. You may not even have results before testing again on the same day at the port— I do think it is confusing:

 

There are 2 types of transiting:

• ‘airside’ - you do not pass through UK border control before you leave on your connecting journey
• ‘landside’ - you do pass through UK border control, but come back through it and leave the UK within a short amount of time (usually 24 hours)

Before travel to England

If you will be transiting through England, you need to complete the passenger locator form.

You will also need to take a COVID-19 test in the 3 days before you travel, if you either:

• do not qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England
• have been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England

If you will be transiting landside through England you need to do the following when you complete your passenger locator form.

• select ‘Stay in the UK’ under the Your travel plans section
• reply ‘I will be travelling for an exempt reason’ to the question about whether you are required to self-isolate on arrival
• select the Exemption options, and then select ‘Transit Exemption’

This includes if you are transiting onto the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You may need to show evidence of onward travel and where you will be staying at the border .

When you transit through England to international destinations

You do not need to quarantine on arrival or take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and day 8. This applies if you are transiting airside or landside.

You must either:

• remain within your port of entry until your departure from England, or
• travel directly from your port of entry to another port of departure in England

 

[artyhues]

3 hours ago, IB2 said:

Yet the very next paragraph in the guidance specifically says that you have to take the test, within two days.

 

Whether you would get away with not taking it, particularly if you had left the country, is another question, but not the one being asked!  If you have paid for it, you might as well take it - in the unlikely event you (would have) test(ed) positive, do you really not want to know and risk putting others’ health at risk?

Because Cunard is giving me a better PCR test on day 1 at dockside, day 0 being when I arrive. If a lateral flow test actually shows up at my hotel, I’ll take it and send the photo in. It will be processed long after I’m gone. It would be great if Cunard would provide the code for the PLF, but that’s not going to happen. 

[IB2]

On 10/23/2021 at 10:09 PM, renji said:

A number of sources say you don’t need to take the test if you leave day 0 or 1–see below from govt site. You may not even have results before testing again on the same day at the port— I do think it is confusing:

 

There are 2 types of transiting:

• ‘airside’ - you do not pass through UK border control before you leave on your connecting journey
• ‘landside’ - you do pass through UK border control, but come back through it and leave the UK within a short amount of time (usually 24 hours)

Before travel to England

If you will be transiting through England, you need to complete the passenger locator form.

You will also need to take a COVID-19 test in the 3 days before you travel, if you either:

• do not qualify as fully vaccinated for travel to England
• have been in a red list country in the 10 days before you arrive in England

If you will be transiting landside through England you need to do the following when you complete your passenger locator form.

• select ‘Stay in the UK’ under the Your travel plans section
• reply ‘I will be travelling for an exempt reason’ to the question about whether you are required to self-isolate on arrival
• select the Exemption options, and then select ‘Transit Exemption’

This includes if you are transiting onto the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. You may need to show evidence of onward travel and where you will be staying at the border .

When you transit through England to international destinations

You do not need to quarantine on arrival or take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and day 8. This applies if you are transiting airside or landside.

You must either:

• remain within your port of entry until your departure from England, or
• travel directly from your port of entry to another port of departure in England

 

The OP's question isn't about transit - it's about a short stay in the UK because he's arriving - as he says - before the day of his cruise.

 

The relevant part of the UK Government instructions is therefore:

 

"If you will be in England for less than 2 days you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test.

 

After you arrive in England you must take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2. The day you arrive is day 0."

 

As far as cruising is concerned, transit rules are only ever going to be applicable if you arrive on a flight, and travel directly to Southampton for immediate boarding the ship.  Very few people would risk doing this, given that a flight delay would wreck your cruise - and this forum is full of advice to cruisers to arrive early and stay overnight or build in some sightseeing as time in hand.  As soon as you do anything other than travel straight to the ship, you don't classify as a transit passenger.

Edited October 25, 2021 by IB2