So confused about Covid travel requirements

[Anonymous]

Yes, I’ve googled but keep reading conflicting information. Some sites say you need a negative Covid test to board an international flight and to return to the States. Others say you only need proof of vaccination. Does anyone know of a definitive site regarding these rules? We’re traveling to Europe in early June. TIA.

[Anonymous]

It depends on where you’re going. At this point, you’ll need a negative test to re-enter the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on where you’re going. At this point, you’ll need a negative test to re-enter the US.

+1 outgoing rules vary by country. I coming to the US requires a negative covid test.

[Anonymous]

As of today, you need to have a negative test acceptable by the airline to get a flight back to the US. The airline will tell you what tests they accept.

[Anonymous]

Yes, you need an antigen test to come home to the US.

Have a plan for what happens if one of you catches covid.

We don't have kids, but we have a pet to get home to. So we travel with our own tests from Emed.com and we bring work laptops. If one of us is negative, that person will depart and get back home. We also get Trawick covid travel insurance as a backup, pretty cheap for what you get.

[Anonymous]

NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, you need an antigen test to come home to the US.

Have a plan for what happens if one of you catches covid.

We don't have kids, but we have a pet to get home to. So we travel with our own tests from Emed.com and we bring work laptops. If one of us is negative, that person will depart and get back home. We also get Trawick covid travel insurance as a backup, pretty cheap for what you get.

I was just looking at the trawick site as we are going to London next week. So their insurance would cover lodging and food costs if we could not travel back due to Covid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Pp was asking what happens if they test positive, not the requirements for the initial test protocol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Pp was asking what happens if they test positive, not the requirements for the initial test protocol

If you test positive, you stay in whatever country you are until you can meet one of the above requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Pp was asking what happens if they test positive, not the requirements for the initial test protocol

If you test positive, you stay in whatever country you are until you can meet one of the above requirements.

Exactly. Testing positive doesn't really mean anything for the purposes of the requirement. It's like not testing at all, other than starting the clock on the 10 day/Recovery Certificate option. But you can always start that clock with a positive test at anytime within the last 90 days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It depends on where you’re going. At this point, you’ll need a negative test to re-enter the US.

Yes, or go to Canada or Mexico and enter the US at a land crossing- no test is required for any of that for vaccinated travelers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Pp was asking what happens if they test positive, not the requirements for the initial test protocol

If you test positive, you stay in whatever country you are until you can meet one of the above requirements.

It's not been my experience that if you test positive you are banned from the US entry until you test negative.
A member of our traveling party tested positive in London. The nurse practitioner who took her test said she could return to the US 5 days after her symptoms started. In her case, she needed to stay in UK for 3 additional days. I realize this raises questions, but that's been my very recent experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP. I am confused as well. I understand that you need a negative covid test 1 day prior to re-entry into US. What happens if you test positive on the day before your flight? How long do you need to wait to fly home if asymptomatic? It could take weeks to get a negative test.

You have a 10 day period before you can travel again, then two consecutive negative tests are required. My husband’s coworker tested positive on a work trip and is stuck in the UK until at least next week. Luckily his work is picking up costs. If you are traveling as a family and one person tests positive then you are supposed to quarantine as a group but it is not enforced. I believe you can also get a doctor to override the waiting period with cause or to retest and challenge results but the language is vague about how often or for what reasons that is allowed.

A lot of this is incorrect or mixing of recommendations and actual requirements. Here are your options to be able to board a plane from outside the US to get back:

1. A negative test, observed by someone else, with printed/emailed results with your name, date,test, etc, taken no more than one calendar day before your flight. It doesn't matter how many positive tests you have had before, or if you have had positive tests for 3 days or however long. If you can produce a proctored negative test, you can get on the plane.

OR

2. Evidence of a positive test within the last 3 months, along with a doctor's certificate of recovery, which basically says your name, date of birth, etc, and that you tested positive on X date, and that as of at least 10 days later you no longer have symptoms.

That's it. One of those two things. You can see the details here. There is nothing there about needing two negative tests after a positive, or about "retest and challenge results"

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html

Pp was asking what happens if they test positive, not the requirements for the initial test protocol

If you test positive, you stay in whatever country you are until you can meet one of the above requirements.

It's not been my experience that if you test positive you are banned from the US entry until you test negative.
A member of our traveling party tested positive in London. The nurse practitioner who took her test said she could return to the US 5 days after her symptoms started. In her case, she needed to stay in UK for 3 additional days. I realize this raises questions, but that's been my very recent experience.

In that case the person used the Recovery Certificate option, which apparently the NP was willing to give after 5 days. Maybe in the UK they have a 5 day standard for recovery? Generally US-based doctors will give it after 10 days.