If you are attending EA Global 2021, you have to worry about international travel rules for COVID testing. I am not in any way affiliated with EA Global or any government, but did some research for myself that I wanted to share, in case it is useful for others. This is what I plan to do but I make no warranty of the accuracy of this: do your due diligence. If you accept that caveat, please read below.
My Plan
I’m a US citizen coming from the US and have been double vaccinated. So that means I have to do 4 things:
About 2 weeks before leaving for London, purchase a day 2 COVID test online. I’ve decided to go with Randox and have it delivered to my UK hotel before I arrive. It is 43 GBP with coupon code “BritishAirways”. When I pay, I will get a reference code to prove I have booked a test.
2 days before my flight takes off, fill out the UK’s passenger locator form at this link. I will have to include the reference code from #1.
Within 2 days of arriving in the UK, take that test I had mailed to my hotel.
Within 3 days of departing the UK to return to the US, take another COVID test. This is required by the US CDC according to this link, and both PCR and Rapid Antigen tests are acceptable. I’m getting a Rapid Antigen test from Boots for 50 GBP. This page has a list of Boots pharmacy locations with COVID tests. The nearest one to the Brewery is at London Liverpool Street Station 11 Octagon Arcade, London EC2M 2AB, United Kingdom (Boots Link), (Maps Link). You can book a test with Boots here. I am planning to walk into an NHS location near the EA conference venue (like this) and get a free test. You don’t have to be a UK citizen to get free tests from the NHS (link).
I believe that’s everything. I don’t have to take any tests before leaving the US, do any sort of quarantine, or anything like that.
Other useful references
UK Government page on entering the UK, with a summary of rules: Link.
Official UK government list of “day 2” test providers. Unfortunately, I found it very inaccurate on both locations and prices.
US CDC government page on returning to the US: Link.
Managing COVID restrictions for EA Global travel: My plans + request for other examples
Summary
If you are attending EA Global 2021, you have to worry about international travel rules for COVID testing. I am not in any way affiliated with EA Global or any government, but did some research for myself that I wanted to share, in case it is useful for others. This is what I plan to do but I make no warranty of the accuracy of this: do your due diligence. If you accept that caveat, please read below.
My Plan
I’m a US citizen coming from the US and have been double vaccinated. So that means I have to do 4 things:
About 2 weeks before leaving for London, purchase a day 2 COVID test online. I’ve decided to go with Randox and have it delivered to my UK hotel before I arrive. It is 43 GBP with coupon code “BritishAirways”. When I pay, I will get a reference code to prove I have booked a test.
2 days before my flight takes off, fill out the UK’s passenger locator form at this link. I will have to include the reference code from #1.
Within 2 days of arriving in the UK, take that test I had mailed to my hotel.
Within 3 days of departing the UK to return to the US, take another COVID test. This is required by the US CDC according to this link, and both PCR and Rapid Antigen tests are acceptable. I’m getting a Rapid Antigen test from Boots for 50 GBP. This page has a list of Boots pharmacy locations with COVID tests. The nearest one to the Brewery is at London Liverpool Street Station 11 Octagon Arcade, London EC2M 2AB, United Kingdom (Boots Link), (Maps Link). You can book a test with Boots here.
I am planning to walk into an NHS location near the EA conference venue (like this) and get a free test. You don’t have to be a UK citizen to get free tests from the NHS (link).I believe that’s everything. I don’t have to take any tests before leaving the US, do any sort of quarantine, or anything like that.
Other useful references
UK Government page on entering the UK, with a summary of rules: Link.
Official UK government list of “day 2” test providers. Unfortunately, I found it very inaccurate on both locations and prices.
US CDC government page on returning to the US: Link.
US DOT page on returning to the US: Link.
Summary of UK-US travel requirements by a travel website: Link.
Your Comments
If you’ve made your own plans, especially if you’re traveling from somewhere other than the US, post about them in the comments!
And of course, let me know if you see any errors in my plan. I hope this helps!
Changelog: Updated 2021-10-04 with helpful comments from DavidBernard.