Concert St John’s Smith Square (2021)

[theriverflowson]

So you're saying we're supposed to receive the kit at our hotel? Would we then swab ourselves and run the test in our room? How would the test be reported?
The lateral Flow test is a rapid test is it not? I had thought that the person to be tested would make an appointment in advance, present themselves to the facility, get swabbed and then the test would be run within an hour and some sort of documentation would be given.

Not an expert, but there seem to be different ways of testing, generally ‘Self swab on site‘, ‘Self swab at home‘ [‘Self swab’ means you’ll take the sample yourself without supervision] and ‘Provider supervised on site‘ [staff will take the sample for you].

For the ‘Self swab at home‘ variant they would send to you a test kit to your home address (or your hotel address) and you need to hand over your sample material to the test provider or send it to them by Royal Mail. Just making an appointment at a testing facility might be the better solution - you won't have to worry about receiving the test kit and they can run the test immediately, making it more reliable, I guess.

https://www.find-travel-test-provider.s ... type/green

Yes, LFD is also called a Express or Rapid test.

[Padmachou]

Thanks for the explanations !

If you get your hand on a kit and self swab yourself and need to post it, does the kit provides what you need ? (a box, a stamp...) I do not know how to use the postmail in the UK and that would make me super anxious

Also it is unclear to me : do you need to have received the results before you leave ? It seems useless, for I will stay exactly 2 days and nobody will care about the results when I go back to France ?

[theriverflowson]

Thanks for the explanations !

If you get your hand on a kit and self swab yourself and need to post it, does the kit provides what you need ? (a box, a stamp...) I do not know how to use the postmail in the UK and that would make me super anxious

Also it is unclear to me : do you need to have received the results before you leave ? It seems useless, for I will stay exactly 2 days and nobody will care about the results when I go back to France ?

I just checked some of the ‘Self swab at home‘ providers (see the weblink with a list of providers in my last post). Sometimes a return envelope and return postage seems to be included, but for others it is not clearly stated if this is included. If this is your preferred way of doing the test, you might look for a provider that has everything included.

I think you need to show proof that you have booked a test to be able to travel by entering the booking confirmation into the locator form. I would not like to comment what might happen if you travel back on Day 2 without having completed the test.

Just another thought: If cheaper Rapid tests will be allowed in December, who would then pay for the more expensive PCR test? Rapid tests might be the new standard quite soon. I'm not sure if ‘Self swab at home‘ tests would then still make sense. At least the Rapid tests I know show a reliable result within 15-20 minutes after testing, so shipping them through Royal Mail wouldn't make much sense. I would wait until the Rapid tests are allowed and then just book such test as a ‘Provider supervised on site‘ variant nearby your hotel. This appears to be the easiest way.

[Yorkie]

By all the accounts I've heard the requirement is to have booked and paid for a test before travel to the UK. Nobody checks that you actually take it....

[maartendas]

Two things on this:

Do check your country’s official rules and advise for traveling to the UK (rather than just going by posts on the forum);

Booking a test without taking it seems to me a misuse of test capacity - and a bit risky even.

That being said, I really hope to see many of you in December.

[TullyBascombe]

The link in theriverflowson's post connects you to a site where you can access a list of test providers, select the London area, then scroll through the list. You'll find providers' name and phone number, there may even be a hot link to their website. There are a large number of providers, I'd guess that you should be able to find one near your hotel. There are providers in the airports, they're amongst the most expensive. I believe you have to call the provider to make an appointment, so for those of us on the other side of the Atlantic we need to be mindful of the time difference. Prices are listed as varying from 20 to over 100 pounds, but the price on the government list doesn't necessarily match the one on the website. The cheaper providers don't provide same day service. The day you arrive in the UK is "day 0", so if you arrived on Sunday and left on Monday, you wouldn't have to provide a test result to get on your return flight because you were only in the UK for one day. What if I arrive on Saturday and leave on Monday, would I have to present a test result to get on a plane? What if I left Tuesday?

The CDC website strongly advises against travelling to the UK even for vaccinated people. The entire US is also listed as a very high risk zone. China, Poland, Chad, Niger, Cameron, Madagascar, Burkina Faso, Taiwan, New Zealand and Congo are low risk areas. Please vacate the very high risk zones and proceed towards a low risk zone single file in a calm, orderly manner.

[Padmachou]

Booking a test without taking it seems to me a misuse of test capacity - and a bit risky even.

It seems like several of you thought that when I asked about "what happens with the results and will someone ask me about them" I meant I might not take it if nobody is going to check. Please do not interpret things like that. I mostly am very stressfull about all the administrative requirements, it frightens me and I want to anticipate everything that could happen... Like what if the test is faulty, or if I book a test that should be sailed to the hotel and I never receive it... Then would I me in a big mess or not, could I still take the train and go home...

That being said, the RULE itself is stupid. I mean, the rule litteraly says you have to BOOK for the test but don't NEED to do it if you are not staying more than 2 days. I mean, yes we can be smarter than the rule, but you can't be dumber.
My own way of dealing with my security and my closest ones' will probably be to take a test a few days after returning in France, once the virus - if I unfortunately encountered it while in UK - will have incubated, and then be sure I am "clean".

About the "risks" we are taking, going to the UK, I would temper it... I assume everyone planning now on visiting London has received two shots of vax... if we are observant of the rules of hygiene and distanciation, the risk is reduced. Not inexistant, but... reduced.

[maartendas]

Bonsoir Padma,
My comment was in no way aimed at you or anyone specific. I merely read in several posts people expressing the possibility of booking a test but not taking it.
Thanks for clarifying your thoughts, I think it helps to express those questions or worries in order to get more clarity and hopefully less stress. I too feel nervous about the whole covid situation in this context, but at the same time remain hopeful that our wishes will come true and we will meet in December at a specific time and place in London

[TullyBascombe]

Every airline I've looked at requires a negative Covid-19 test within three days before boarding an international flight. If you don't have the disease when you arrive, but contract it while flying or after arriving the test is not going to turn positive only one or two days after acquiring the virus, it takes 3 to 5 days. That means that the 2 day test is looking to see if you became infected less than 3 to 5 days before getting the pre-flight test, not if you got infected within the 2 days you've been in the UK. I wonder if that is truly worthwhile?

France is currently ranked as "high risk" compared to the UK or the US which are ranked "very high risk", so just being in the UK conveys just a bit more risk than being in France and no extra risk than being in the US. The additional risk will occur in the airport, the metro or bus, and in the concert hall.

[Celt]

The testing and vaccination requirements are not going to catch all possible infections entering the country, but I think it is as much about encouraging vaccine uptake and discouraging those who are displaying symptoms from travelling, as it is about discovering all cases.

The infection rates in the UK are high right now, however they are not increasing exponentially as they did in previous waves. If you are nervous about travelling to the UK and can afford to leave your booking a while longer, then it may be worth waiting to see what happens with infection rates. It's half term now, so I would expect a dip in infections amongst children, and in addition the booster jab is being rolled out to high risk groups, which should boost antibody levels in those groups, leading to a further reduction.

If you do get ill here, the NHS is not as bad as it may have been portrayed in overseas media. In fact, we have a lower rate of death per head of population than the USA. (although neither rate is anything to crow about)

Just take steps to protect yourself. Wear a mask with a good level of filtration (for instance Germany mandates FFP2 masks), keep antibacterial gel with you and avoid public transport where possible.

It is all about the level of personal risk you are willing to consider in order to see Libera perform live again. I for one hope that some international fans do make it over this time, as it was quite strange to attend the concerts last Xmas without the usual faces in attendance!!

[bachmahlerfan]

I'm a bit concerned about the recent talk regarding Covid-19 in the UK. I'm wondering if a lockdown may occur and cancel this concert. I don't think it's likely, but I wouldn't rule it out. After that's done, I wonder if economic hardship could start to be a problem if inflation and other economic factors worsen.

[Celt]

I don't think there is any reason to panic just yet...

There is, yet again, a lot of scaremongering over the situation here, but I would say it is still too early to tell which way it will go. The cases hit 50,000 a day again last week and many people started calling for a lockdown, just as they did when it hit the same number in July. Yet, for the last 4 days, the numbers have been declining again. There are widely differing opinions about the way this will go. But considering we have a high rate of vaccination AND a high rate of natural immunity (due to the large number of cumulative cases) my personal opinion is that this won't lead to another lockdown.

Flip a coin.

As for the economic hardships... yes, that will undoubtedly be a problem for UK based fans in the next few years, but I do not think it will affect Libera hugely, because of their large international fan base.

[Yorkie]

I don't think there is any reason to panic just yet...

There is, yet again, a lot of scaremongering over the situation here, but I would say it is still too early to tell which way it will go. The cases hit 50,000 a day again last week and many people started calling for a lockdown, just as they did when it hit the same number in July. Yet, for the last 4 days, the numbers have been declining again. There are widely differing opinions about the way this will go. But considering we have a high rate of vaccination AND a high rate of natural immunity (due to the large number of cumulative cases) my personal opinion is that this won't lead to another lockdown.

Flip a coin.

As for the economic hardships... yes, that will undoubtedly be a problem for UK based fans in the next few years, but I do not think it will affect Libera hugely, because of their large international fan base.

This clown car government isn't going to lock down again. They only care about money not lives.

I'm confident that the only thing that can stop it happening is if the boys contract covid. The real question is do fans from abroad want to risk their lives travelling to plague island...

[bachmahlerfan]

I don't think there is any reason to panic just yet...

There is, yet again, a lot of scaremongering over the situation here, but I would say it is still too early to tell which way it will go. The cases hit 50,000 a day again last week and many people started calling for a lockdown, just as they did when it hit the same number in July. Yet, for the last 4 days, the numbers have been declining again. There are widely differing opinions about the way this will go. But considering we have a high rate of vaccination AND a high rate of natural immunity (due to the large number of cumulative cases) my personal opinion is that this won't lead to another lockdown.

Flip a coin.

As for the economic hardships... yes, that will undoubtedly be a problem for UK based fans in the next few years, but I do not think it will affect Libera hugely, because of their large international fan base.

This clown car government isn't going to lock down again. They only care about money not lives.

I'm confident that the only thing that can stop it happening is if the boys contract covid. The real question is do fans from abroad want to risk their lives travelling to plague island...

So, if you were in charge, would you tell choirs such as Libera to not meet in person for the next few months and cancel everything, or do you have something else in mind?

[maartendas]

Perhaps the Forum isn’t the place to discuss covid policies.
Though I too think about this a lot. Should I go, should I cancel?
I am generally really careful when it comes to covid measures. I feel I could be safe. Which is why I remain hopeful.

Were this concert ‘just’ a ‘regular’ Libera concert, I might be easier persuaded to opt on the safe side and stay home. However, this being their first public performance since Robert’s passing, and considering how covid had such an impact on their ability to make music, makes it highly meaningful for me to attend and to support them. I feel as if I could melt into a puddle after only one bar of them singing again in front of me. There would be so much emotions moving around in me and in the room. Which is why I am hoping, hoping, hoping it will all follow through.

Still. That being said - I do take into account the possibility that I cannot attend, or find it too dangerous or too difficult to explain to myself and others that I would take this risk. In which case I will be genuinely grateful that there is a concert at all and that the boys will give all they can to whoever is able to attend. Knowing Libera is alive and well is a great comfort, even if I could not be present to witness that for myself.

The third possibility would be that all choral performances are again called off due to covid, which would be very sad indeed.

One thing I hold onto is my trust in the Libera staff and the families to always keep the boys’ safety their number one priority.