“Testing testing”

Photo: Just one of the nineteen forms to travel from Italy to the UK

I handed over €5 to pay for our coffees. Gio handed me back the change. €5. No charge for our last coffees for a couple of weeks. Grazie Gio.

It was 06:00 and we had a long drive to London for our first dose of a Covid vaccine. The paperwork was huge so we prepared a folder ready for inspection:

1. Negative Covid test – Colin
2. Negative Covid test – Jan
3. Italian travel Declaration – Colin
4. Italian travel Declaration – Jan
5. French Statement of Honour – Colin
6. French Statement of Honour – Jan
7. French Travel Waiver Certificate – Colin
8. French Travel Waiver Certificate – Jan
9. Channel Tunnel booking confirmation
10. UK Passenger Locator form – Colin
11. UK Passenger Locator form – Jan
12. UK Day 2 test appointment confirmation – Colin
13. UK Day 2 test appointment confirmation – Jan
14. UK Day 5 Early Release test appointment confirmation – Colin
15. UK Day 5 Early Release test appointment confirmation – Jan
16. UK Vaccination appointment confirmation – Colin
17. UK Vaccination appointment confirmation – Jan
18. UK Day 8 test appointment confirmation – Colin
19. UK Day 8 test appointment confirmation – Jan

At the Italian / French border we just drove through as usual. At Calais a different story.

Our Covid test results and UK Passenger Locator forms were checked at check-in.

French immigration stamped our passports, despite showing them our Italian Residency certificates, in breach of the Withdrawal Agreement.

UK Border Force checked our test results and Passenger Locator forms, then complimented us on our preparedness.

We were in bed by 02:00 (22 hours bed to bed)

On Day 2 Track and Trace called to remind us to take a test the following day. “We had our test this morning as it’s Day 2 today”. No sir, it’s Day 1 today. The day of your arrival is Day 0. There is no mention of Day 0 on the UK.GOV website. The test was negative.

Another test on Day 5 (our version) was negative so that afternoon we had the Astra Zeneca vaccine that afternoon. The organisation at the Francis Crick Institute was brilliant. Registration, Doctor’s interview and injection all within 10 minutes. Colin had cold shivers and a headache for a few hours then feeling weak for the rest of the day. Jan just felt weak. Otherwise, no problem at all.

Our third negative result in a week didn’t relieve us of the Day 8 test. Negative again.

Tomorrow we have yet another test, this time to return to Italy on Tuesday.

Only 13 forms needed to get back.

Update 28th April:

Arrived back in Italy at 3am after a 22 hour journey. No issues leaving England and French immigration didn’t stamp our passports. As on the way out no controls at all at the French/Italian border.