Do we need a "video-observed" PCR test to enter the USA?
November 30, 2021 5:44 AM Subscribe
My British spouse and I (a US-ian), planning a trip to the USA and trying to understand the latest requirements, ordered PCR "Fit to Fly" tests from a company called Source Bioscience, following a recommendation in the consumer magazine Which. So far so good, but now we hear that the U.S. requires the test to be "video observed," and this company doesn't offer that.
Is that correct that we need to be video supervised for a PCR test or is that just for antigen tests? Any recommendations on what to do much appreciated.
Best answer: My experience is the same as andrewesque's. I flew to the US a few weeks ago. I did an in-person test, it was an LFT (lateral flow - the plastic-and-paper self-test) rather than PCR test, and I got my results within the hour. I shared a room with a technician for the duration of the swab, and then left before he put the solution onto the test strip. Notification was via email, with a document I printed out and took with me.
The rules about observation seem to be (a) so that someone watches you do the test properly and (b) so that someone watches you do the test on yourself (rather than on someone else or not at all). The watching can be in-person or by video; I think if you do it by video call the technician stays on the call while you wait out the 30 minutes it takes for an LFT to give you definitive results.
To the best of my knowledge, if the test you have does not come with observation it's unfortunately the wrong test and you won't be able to use it on the US end of things. I guess the UK fit-to-fly rules are looser than the US entry requirements?
The UK government website for this is terrible - it has a list of suppliers in no particular order, and no clues as to where they operate or anything else, and doesn't cover what they're good for. So you have to go check each one individually to see what they offer and whether it's appropriate for the US. However, in-person testing is more widely available than I expected, and LFT testing is quite cheap and up to the task.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 7:44 AM on November 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
The rules about observation seem to be (a) so that someone watches you do the test properly and (b) so that someone watches you do the test on yourself (rather than on someone else or not at all). The watching can be in-person or by video; I think if you do it by video call the technician stays on the call while you wait out the 30 minutes it takes for an LFT to give you definitive results.
To the best of my knowledge, if the test you have does not come with observation it's unfortunately the wrong test and you won't be able to use it on the US end of things. I guess the UK fit-to-fly rules are looser than the US entry requirements?
The UK government website for this is terrible - it has a list of suppliers in no particular order, and no clues as to where they operate or anything else, and doesn't cover what they're good for. So you have to go check each one individually to see what they offer and whether it's appropriate for the US. However, in-person testing is more widely available than I expected, and LFT testing is quite cheap and up to the task.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 7:44 AM on November 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Looks like we got the wrong test. It was all so confusing!
posted by johngoren at 7:46 AM on November 30, 2021
posted by johngoren at 7:46 AM on November 30, 2021
Best answer: Go to your local pharmacy and do an in person test. LloydsPhamacy in person lateral flow test is £29, you get the result in 15 mins and you can book the appointment online. Keep the other test for another occasion.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:42 PM on November 30, 2021
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:42 PM on November 30, 2021
Best answer: Before you go, do yourself a favor and get a free box or two (or more!) of the lateral flow tests from the government to take with you. It's still not simple (or cheap) to get tests on demand in the US, and having these with you can give you some peace of mind (just as a supplement to entry tests). And do fill out your forms with the VeriFly app before you go--they'll probably ask you about that at the check-in counter, at the gate, and possibly again at your point of entry.
I'm also US-ian and have just come back after leaving to renew my visa. Be very glad you're not returning to the UK under the rules that ended in August, because good *lord* they were incoherent nonsense. I took several boxes of free lateral flow tests with me and shared most of them with friends and family to have around.
Safe travels.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 6:39 AM on December 1, 2021
I'm also US-ian and have just come back after leaving to renew my visa. Be very glad you're not returning to the UK under the rules that ended in August, because good *lord* they were incoherent nonsense. I took several boxes of free lateral flow tests with me and shared most of them with friends and family to have around.
Safe travels.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 6:39 AM on December 1, 2021
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Whether the test has to be video supervised or not doesn't have to do with it being a PCR test or an antigen test -- this requirement applies if it's a self-test (as missmerrymack says above).
If you go to a testing site in person where someone else takes the sample, be it PCR or antigen, runs the test, and then provides you the result, then it doesn't have to be video-supervised. It is, after all, "human supervised." (I myself have first-hand experience returning to the US with getting a test this way -- I got an antigen test with a result in an hour by going in person to a testing site where they swabbed me and ran the test. No video was taken or used.)
If you take a self-test, i.e. you receive the test and administer the sample yourself, then the video observation requirement kicks in. As stated on the CDC website (search for "Does a self-test meet the conditions of the Order?"), the "telehealth provider must confirm your identity, observe the sample collection and testing procedures, confirm the test result, and issue a report that meets the requirements of CDC’s Order"
posted by andrewesque at 7:12 AM on November 30, 2021 [2 favorites]