Longing to leave and enjoy the freedom we have been deprived of for so long. But this year in the suitcase we must also find a place for anti-Covid tests (or rather their results) because – while the rumor among experts for or against the indiscriminate use of various types of tampons continues unabated – there is is a fixed point: to leave you need a ‘certificate’ declaring us Covid-free. All the more so now that the Delta variant raises attention and the fear that we can go back. In short, those who until now had remained on the fringes of the Covid test universe will now have to become familiar with these real health tools since the digital Green pass in force since 1 July also includes among the ‘proofs’ to be provided in order to travel in other countries the negative result of a molecular or antigen test.
Destination Europe
Those who have a few more days of vacation or are planning their honeymoon, can’t wait to get on a plane and fly away somewhere in Europe. But what to do in these cases? At the moment the world is divided into five bands, for each of which there are different rules to be respected in order to travel safely. You need the green pass (paper or digital) which from 1 July will be valid as an “EU digital Covid certificate” to travel to and from all countries of the European Union and the Schengen area. According to the latest provisions, at least until July 30, travel to all Member States of the European Union, those party to the Schengen Agreement (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Switzerland ), Andorra and Principality of Monaco. What do you need to enter? In general, the requests are quite similar between the various European countries with some nuances that can be verified by consulting (also for any updates) the sites infocovid.viaggiaresicuri.it or https://reopen.europa.eu/it/. Up-to-date information for different countries can also be found on www.iomitesto.it
What to do to travel to France and Andorra
But let’s do some practical examples. To go to France or even to Andorra you must present a complete vaccination certificate (with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson vaccines) carried out for at least 14 days, certificate of recovery from Covid or molecular or rapid negative swab to be carried out within 72 hours before the trip. All travelers, vaccinated or not, must submit an affidavit certifying the absence of symptoms from Covid-19 and contact with a confirmed case in the 14 days preceding the trip. If the test cannot be carried out in Italy, you can ask the French Embassy or Consulate for a specific document called “RT-PCR test exemption“. In this case, you are tested on arrival and there is a mandatory 7-day quarantine to be completed in an accommodation facility designated by the public authorities, with a further test at the end of the isolation period. Children under 11 are exempted. A swab is also needed for the return to Italy, which must be carried out within 48 hours of the return flight.
The process for those who go to the United Kingdom
More complicated, especially now that the Delta variant is tracing the infections, go to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland (including Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and the British bases on the island of Cyprus). At the time of writing (but the situation is constantly evolving), to travel from Italy you are required to present the negative result of a Covid-19 test carried out in the three days preceding the day of departure and which meets the parameters indicated by the British Government. The test result must be in either English, French or Spanish and must indicate, in addition to the negative result of the exam, the name of the traveler as indicated on the passport / identity card, the date of birth, the name of the examination carried out and the contact details of the medical center that carried out it. In addition, it is necessary to fill in an online form (“travel locator form”) in the two days prior to departure in which a specific address and a telephone number are requested at which travelers can be contacted.
Quarantine and double testing
As travelers are required to observe a 10-day quarantine period upon arrival, it is also necessary to book two tests, to be carried out on the second and eighth day of stay: at the link https://www.gov.uk/find-travel-test-provider you can find the facilities in which to carry out the tests. The quarantine can be interrupted on the fifth day instead of the tenth only if you perform a paid test, the so-called “Test to Release”. All the rules also apply to the vaccinated. For the return to Italy, the obligation of a 5-day quarantine was introduced. Furthermore, it is necessary to present a negative test to be carried out in the 48 hours preceding the return and do a further one at the end of the 5 days of quarantine.
How to embark
Whatever the destination, it should not be forgotten that on Covid-tested flights boarding is only permitted with a rapid antigen test performed before boarding, or by showing the negative result of a molecular or antigenic test carried out no later than 48 hours prior to boarding. ‘boarding. And upon arrival in Italy, it was again tested at the airport. The “Viaggiareidia” portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminds you that “in the event of non-boarding on the Covid-tested flight, due to a positive result for Covid-19, the reimbursement of the ticket or the issuance of the ticket is provided by the airline of a voucher of the same amount at the request of the passenger, within fourteen days from the date of the withdrawal and valid for eighteen months from issue “.
Holidays for young people
With the reopening of the discos, young people are concerned, between 12 and 40 years of age, among whom the percentage of those who have undergone the complete vaccination cycle is still very low: less than two million out of an audience of over 17. All others, therefore more than 15 million young people, still unvaccinated or with a single dose (5.5 million), are at very high risk of crossing the Delta variant and spreading it since – according to the latest studies – with only two doses protected from the contagion of the new variant which is about to become prevalent also in Italy. Therefore, to be able to spend their holidays in Spain, Greece, Malta on the eve of departure, to obtain the Green pass, they undergo the antigen test at least 48 hours before; for the following movements they will have to perform the swab again.
Italian holidays
And who stays in Italy? If you choose to go to a hotel, it may happen that you have to take an anti-Covid test. In the document drawn up by the government “Guidelines for the reopening of economic, productive and recreational activities” there is no rule that obliges hotel guests to take a swab. Despite this, some hotels in Italy they decided to carry out free tampons to guests as an additional service offered by the hotel to ensure greater safety. It happens, for example, in Capri, one of the first Covid-free islands in Italy. Here, to ensure even greater safety, many hoteliers offer a tampon among their services. Some hotel chains offer their guests different packages to make rapid and molecular swabs, making them choose the day and time in which to carry out the screening and whether to obtain the report within 24 or 48 hours.
The test to measure antibodies
And then there are those who do not start but resort to a test serological to understand how many antibodies have been developed and consequently verify the effectiveness of the vaccination. The tendency to measure the antibodies produced after vaccination, or to evaluate their value in case of infection, is a debated and controversial issue: the immunity of antibodies associated with cellular immunity prevents the development of the disease in a severe form, even if not it has still been possible to establish a “threshold” of protection. The difficulty, reiterated by the Authorities, is also due to the great inhomogeneity of serological tests (rapid with lancing device, qualitative, quantitative, total or partial): there are over 500 different types of tests available in Europe, but only a few are truly reliable.
A compass for testing
Serological, antigenic, molecular: is it clear to everyone what are the differences between the various types? certainly not and there are still some doubts. To clarify the ideas, you can consult the site www.iomitesto.it which, with a simple and intuitive navigation, clearly explains the difference between the different tests, guiding the user in choosing the one that best suits his needs. Furthermore, in the section “WHERE TO TAKE THE TEST” it is possible, by entering the city of interest, to have a list of all the laboratories that carry out the service, with the main contact information to deepen and possibly book the tests. The site collects constantly updated health and regulatory information, with in-depth articles and interviews with researchers, doctors and scientists who clarify the most important issues.
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