Testing Advice: Just Recovered from Covid Going to Tenerife Next Week?

cwaite

I have just finished my isolation period after recovering from covid and have a holiday booked in Tenerife next week, I am waiting for my Digital Covid pass to return which fingers crossed should come back in the next few days, but I have just read on Gov.uk after recovering from Covid you should not take a Lateral Flow or PCR test for up to 90 days unless you present symptoms, does anyone know how this will affect me considering the current rules are that I need to take a Lateral Flow Test 2 days before I return to the UK and a PCR test up to 2 days after I return. Has anyone reading this been in the same situation or know will these test possibly show positive? Is there anything else I need to do other than one of these tests so that I can return to the UK.

Caz3121

the 90 days appears to be the exception to the norm but it can happen, there have been people that have tested negative in a PCR after 2 weeks
For your return to the UK a proof of recovery is not accepted so you will need a negative test. If you take a lateral flow and it is positive you will not be able to travel so will be waiting until you can test negative
If you manage to travel back with a negative lateral flow and then test positive with a day 2 PCR you will need to follow the isolation rules for having a positive test.
Do a home lateral flow today and every couple of days before you travel to see whether you are still testing positive (maybe take some with you so you can check regularly so when you take the real (paid) one you know roughly what you could expect the result to be)

zagfles

You still need to do the day 2 PCR test, see https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/test-results/positive-test-result/ and if it's positive you'll need to isolate, even though it could well be a false positive. So you need to prepare for this possibility.

AIUI the lateral flow could also show false positive but less likely. What I'd do is take a LF test before going and if this shows positive not go, it's not worth the risk of testing positive on the pre-flight test and having to isolate abroad for 10 days.

Also keep checking the Spanish/Canary entry requirements, they change all the time, France and Germany have just virtually banned travellers from the UK, Spain might not be far behind.

cwaite

Thank you for your replies.

I have managed to speak to someone on 119 who advised that we will be issued automatically with a Covid Recovery Certificate on our NHS app, which will prove that we have recently recovered from Covid this they say would cover us if the lateral flow came out positive, if the PCR test comes back positive we need to contact them to have the situation assessed and they would make a decision to weather we need to isolate or not.

onashoestring

cwaite said:

Thank you for your replies.

I have managed to speak to someone on 119 who advised that we will be issued automatically with a Covid Recovery Certificate on our NHS app, which will prove that we have recently recovered from Covid this they say would cover us if the lateral flow came out positive, if the PCR test comes back positive we need to contact them to have the situation assessed and they would make a decision to weather we need to isolate or not.

You also need to check what your airline requirements. 

The UK Government also says that you need a negative test to return to UK, no mention of using the Covid Pass but it also says 

“If you have recently had COVID

If you have recently recovered from COVID but are no longer infectious, you should use a lateral flow device (LFD) test. LFD tests have a lower sensitivity than PCRor LAMP tests, so they are less likely to return a positive result from a historic infection. “

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england

zagfles

cwaite said:

Thank you for your replies.

I have managed to speak to someone on 119 who advised that we will be issued automatically with a Covid Recovery Certificate on our NHS app, which will prove that we have recently recovered from Covid this they say would cover us if the lateral flow came out positive, if the PCR test comes back positive we need to contact them to have the situation assessed and they would make a decision to weather we need to isolate or not.

That's interesting because it's not what it says here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-testing-for-people-travelling-to-england

I doubt the airline would let you board with a positive LFT. What even is the point of taking the pre-flight LFT if the covid recovery certificate covers you? I would take the verbal advice from 119 with a pinch of salt unless you find written evidence of it somewhere. The airlines are likely to believe the written rules on gov.uk rather than what you've been told over the phone by 119.

Caz3121

What 119 told you recovery certificate would apply if you were travelling to a country that accepts proof of recovery (some do but UK does not)

munchpot

I've just moved my holiday booked for 14th Jan. Was going to Cape Verde, they now require -ve PCR to enter - and we're currently isolating (Come out on 22nd) so no way of being sure that we'll test negative by 14th!

techno12

I was in Tenerife earlier in the month, a few days after my isolation period, as I had tested positive a week earlier. Ended up only having 1 full day out there as didn't want to test positive with a lateral flow (the rules changed when I landed so booked a flight back before they came in. I'll skip foreign travel while pre-departure tests are needed - too much risk).

I just didn't want to take the chance of being stuck out there - would lose my job as no hols left this year (I've been WFH during the pandemic so not an issue when back home)

Both lateral and Randox Day 2 PCR were negative upon my return, so the whole "wait 90 days in case your PCR is a false positive due to recent infection" wasn't an issue for me.

munchpot

Just been reading up and the advice seems to be that you should not take a Lateral Flow or PCR test for 90 days following a positive result (Unless you develop more symptoms)

This would suggest for me that I can't go anywhere that requires a negative test until March 2022

zagfles

munchpot said:

Just been reading up and the advice seems to be that you should not take a Lateral Flow or PCR test for 90 days following a positive result (Unless you develop more symptoms)

This would suggest for me that I can't go anywhere that requires a negative test until March 2022

You can but you risk a false positive which could cause all sorts of hassle. See above.

But we've been banned from lots of countries anyway, and the list will probably increase.