Business travel and Covid

I have to attend a meeting in Geneva a week on Monday.

It's in the morning, so I'll fly out Sunday, have the meeting and return to the airport directly afterward, then fly home.

Or - that's how I'd have done it in the old days.

Now I presume that I have to do the following :

• Ensure that I have my proof of double vaccination
  
• Get a PCR test before I fly out
  
• Fill out the PLF stuff
  
• Get another PCR test before I fly back - this is the part I'm concerned about, as I'm assuming I need to wait for the results?
  
• Switzerland is green, which means another PCR test on or before day two of my return
  
  

So! Three PCR tests, two in the UK and one in Switzerland, sound about right?

I went to Germany (amber) recently and the process was:

• double vax status on NHS app
  
• Book postal day 2 test for return (£80) and fill in UK passenger locator form
  
• Fill in German passenger locator form
  
• Fly to Germany, had to check in at the BA desk though as the pre authorisation on my paperwork didn’t work properly
  
• Get lateral flow from local chemist (€10, paper certificate).
  
• fly home, show vax status, passenger locator form and lateral flow result at check in
  
• Do day 2 postal pcr test on return
  
  

All in all it was pretty easy but there were plenty of very stressed people at both airports who had missing/not correct paperwork.

Thanks, that's useful - the lateral flow test was a quick affair?

I have to attend a meeting in Geneva a week on Monday.

The watch guys? One of my crew was nearly going with you if so.

Yes, no queues and very easy. They did the test in a few minutes and we went back 30 minutes later to collect the results.

The pharmacy was 50m from where I was working so couldn’t have been much easier.

One thing I hadn’t known was that German shops require ffp2 masks for entry, fortunately a colleague was aware and had brought enough for everyone.

Not sure if Switzerland is the same but I’d recommend getting some before arriving (also to wear on the flight).

I'm going to Germany next month. Did not know that. Thanks!

The watch guys? One of my crew was nearly going with you if so.

I would think so.

shops require ffp2 masks for entry

Just ordered a box of 10 - thanks!

My colleague went to Italy last week for a day and she didn’t do a test there because she was flying back on the same day. There seems to be a rule to that effect on the government website but I couldn’t find it

Standard face covering is fine in Switzerland.

Is the PCR test for arrival just a business travel thing? We travelled to Switzerland with no PCR (doubled vaxxed) for a holiday a few weeks ago.

@Dammit

I think you might find this useful for Swiss requirements https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home

Been travelling lots for work recently, this is the only testing place I've used that isn't massively overpriced or has terrible customer service - https://www.testingforall.org/

I think you might find this useful for Swiss requirements https://travelcheck.admin.ch/home

This is handy - thanks. I think you are correct in that I don't need a test to travel to Switzerland.

I'm also proceeding in the belief that I don't need a visa to enter Switzerland to attend a meeting, then leave again.

You'll have your passport stamped but you don't need to do anything in advance.

^ what I just said is bollocks. You need to complete the Swiss locator form before travelling. It's really simple. Completely forgot about that

You only need Antigen to get back into the UK, cheaper than PCR test. Dunno rules for Genevaland but if you were double jabbed you didn't need a test to get into Spain.

Oh and I needed a single Day 2 test back in the UK but didn't need to isolate.

Both Spain and UK had their own Passenger Locator stuff that needed filling out.

https://www.gov.uk/travel-abroad

I'm going to Switzerland too.

I believe it's

• Swiss locator form on the way out
  
• UK locator form on the way back
  
• antigen test before you return to the UK
  
• day 2 PCR test when you get back to UK
  
  

You can order the antigen test now and take it with you.

You can also get the Day 2 PCR test done at Heathrow, either in the terminal or at a drive through facility if you leave your car in short stay.

Day 2 means "on or before" day 2 so there is no reason you can't be swabbed when you get off the plane.

You can order the antigen test now and take it with you.

So you can 100% self-certify as it were?

I don't think that is what he meant.

You cannot self test for returning to the UK, it has to meet the UK gov requirements.

This is all on the gov.uk site.

So I can't order the antigen test and take it with me?

You cannot self test for returning to the UK

Ah, that is what I meant. You self-test but the test has to provide a certificate or whatever to prove you don't have COVID. You can't use an NHS lateral flow.

Step 1

Order Your Test

Order in advance before you travel - valid for one year.

Step 2

Take Your Test

Take your test when your pre-flight test window opens.

Step 3

Verify Online

Register the [test] details for your certificate online.

Upload a photo of your completed test with your passport for our team to verify.

Step 4

Get Your Result

We'll email your result certificate within 12 hours of receiving your result photo (7 days a week service).

That's what the test people we used say, is that not correct? If so I have wasted £90 😢

You can get a test in Switzerland (or wherever) but I thought that was likely to be a) more expensive and b) more likely to go wrong by not meeting standards, given language barrier.

I read this as saying you need to have the test done by somebody else and the result have a supporting letter.

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Here's the actual guidance

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