Travel to the UK

[tcufrog]

My DH really wants to go to London during our kids' Christmas break, December 27- January 3. We've been to the UK before and really enjoyed it. We've all been vaccinated except for our youngest, who we're hoping will be able to be vaccinated before we leave. We're very careful about wearing masks and plan to stay in a flat let. We've stayed in a flat via that booking website before and were very impressed with the quality of the location and the company's customer service.

How crazy of an idea is this considering COVID? How difficult will it be for our youngest to get his COVID test on the 3rd day if he isn't vaccinated yet?

 

[Keacc]

Which vaccine did you get? Only the Pfizer has full FDA approval and will allow you not to have to quarantine. I got the Moderna and we are traveling in May. I hope that the Moderna gets full approval by then.

 

[tcufrog]

Which vaccine did you get? Only the Pfizer has full FDA approval and will allow you not to have to quarantine. I got the Moderna and we are traveling in May. I hope that the Moderna gets full approval by then.

According to gov.uk (the official UK gov site)
"approved vaccines
You must have had a complete course of one of the following vaccines at least 14 days before you arrive in England:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Janssen

The day you have your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.
Formulations of these vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, also qualify as approved vaccines."

You should be fine.

 

[SirDuff]

Which vaccine did you get? Only the Pfizer has full FDA approval and will allow you not to have to quarantine. I got the Moderna and we are traveling in May. I hope that the Moderna gets full approval by then.

Why would FDA approval affect the vaccines that the UK accepts for travel? They rely on their country's approval system.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

My DH really wants to go to London during our kids' Christmas break, December 27- January 3. We've been to the UK before and really enjoyed it. We've all been vaccinated except for our youngest, who we're hoping will be able to be vaccinated before we leave. We're very careful about wearing masks and plan to stay in a flat let. We've stayed in a flat via that booking website before and were very impressed with the quality of the location and the company's customer service.

How crazy of an idea is this considering COVID? How difficult will it be for our youngest to get his COVID test on the 3rd day if he isn't vaccinated yet?

Quite a few of the chain pharmacies/chemists such as Boots and Lloyds are offering testing. Let me see if I can find a link.https://www.boots.com/covid-19-testing/covid-19-testing-service
https://lloydspharmacy.com/pages/covid-19-testing

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

And just check the bank/public holidays in case things that you want to do are closed. Christmas Day is a Sat and Boxing Day is a Sunday, so the 27 and 28 will be public holidays. Then NYs day is a Saturday so we have a public holiday on the Monday 3 January too. It doesn’t mean everything will be closed but if there are any specific things you want to do it may be worth checking.

 

[Kate_45]

You'll need to book day 2 tests for everyone before entering the country as you'll need to enter the number given when tests are booked onto the passenger locator form that you fill in prior to entry. This is even for fully vaccinated people and children over 6yrs. You can get them sent to where you're staying so they'll be waiting for you.

How old is your youngest? If they are an adult and not fully vaccinated they will need to isolate on arrival, if they're a child vaccination status doesn't matter in terms of regs.

I personally wouldn't choose to come here at present; our rates are so much higher than everyone else in Europe and there is very little mask wearing etc. But that's a personal choice that depends on factors particular to your situation.

London will be pretty at Christmas but busy. If you want to go to museums etc remember to book in advance, even places where you previously walked up and queued.

 

[Keacc]

According to gov.uk (the official UK gov site)
"approved vaccines
You must have had a complete course of one of the following vaccines at least 14 days before you arrive in England:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca
• Pfizer BioNTech
• Moderna
• Janssen

The day you have your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days.
Formulations of these vaccines, such as AstraZeneca Covishield, AstraZeneca Vaxzevria and Moderna Takeda, also qualify as approved vaccines."

You should be fine.

This is what is on the American Airlines website:
Mandatory proof of vaccination
Description
Travelers may prove they have received all doses of a vaccine using one of the below methods:
-Vaccination certificate issued by NHS;
-Vaccination certificates issued in EU countries or Switzerland with vaccines approved by the EMA;
-Vaccination certificates issued in the USA with vaccines approved by the FDA.
-Vaccination certificates issued from a relevant public health authority in United States (see 97 additional countries) .
Additionally, travelers from the USA must show proof of USA residencies, such as a USA passport, visa, or Green Card. Mixing between two-dose vaccines (Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna) is also recognized.

Not sure how this plays out.

 

[elena980]

Before you travel to England you should: take a COVID-19 test – to be taken in the 2 days before you travel to England. book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 PCR tests – to be taken later appearance in England. complete a traveler finder structure – to be finished in the 48 hours before you show up in England.
In England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, most lawful Covid limitations were lifted over the mid year, yet their limitations stayed set up across the UK with respect to worldwide travel, and a few countries kept specific homegrown measures. Some UK countries have additionally once again introduced measures following the development of Omicron. See more beneath.
Britain, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland currently partition nations into "red" or "green" classifications. There are likewise unique travel rules relying upon your immunisation status.
Directly following the Omicron Covid variation, the UK government reactivated the then-lethargic "red rundown" on November 25. Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe wound up on the UK's red rundown.