Delays in Covid-19 Test Results Disrupt Travel Further

Delays in getting Covid-19 test results are making a difficult travel situation even worse. If you can’t get the results back in time for your trip, what should you do?

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The novel coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 a bad year to travel. Many countries have banned visitors outright, while others have restricted people arriving from Covid-19 hot spots (like the United States). The most common restriction on travel is a required 14-day quarantine. Visitors need to stay confined in their home, or even at a government facility, for two full weeks before resuming normal activities.

A Quarantine Alternative: PCR Tests

The good news is that many countries (and even a couple of U.S. states) allow travelers to skip their mandatory quarantines, if travelers can provide proof of a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR test (you’ll often just see “PCR”). The test, in which PCR stands for “polymerase chain reaction,’ is a highly accurate test for Covid-19.

The PCR test is not infallible, though. Occasionally, people without the virus will test positive. Those false positives aren’t ideal, but they don’t endanger public health as a false negative might.

Essentially, the PCR test errs on the side of caution. Since false negatives are so rare, countries can feel pretty good about allowing in travelers who test negative. It’s highly unlikely they have the virus; or significantly, had the virus at the time of testing.

Timing of Covid-19 PCR Tests

The biggest problem with Covid-19 PCR tests is that test samples are usually sent to a lab, analyzed, and then we get the results back within a few days.

That lag time between testing and test results presents a real problem. Not just for travelers, but for anyone who undergoes testing. Because a lot can happen in a few days. Someone who tests negative may have contracted the virus by the time they receive their negative result. In other words, a negative test is proof of nothing more than a moment in time.

I recently wrote about the experience of The Bahamas in re-opening its borders. Three weeks later, the re-opening was over amidst rising cases of the coronavirus.

The Bahamas had allowed people to visit without quarantine, so long as they presented proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within the previous 10 days! I believe they simply allowed far too much time between testing and travel. When the islands opened for tourists, on July 1st, the entire country had seen barely 100 cases all-time. Today, on July 28th, the country has had 208 new cases in just the past 7 days.

Covid-19 Testing Delays

The Bahamas was one of just a few countries to allow a relatively long window between testing and travel. Our definitive guide to the places Americans can travel shows most countries require testing much closer to the date of travel. They generally only accept Covid-19 PCR tests that occurred in the previous 72 hours; or in some cases, just 48 hours.

It’s nearly impossible to take a Covid-19 PCR test within such a short time frame and get the results back before travel. As cases of Covid-19 soar, the backlog of tests is rising. Labs can’t keep up with demand. So today, a best-case scenario is that results come back in an average of 2-3 days in some states. In at least half of the U.S. states, the average wait time is even longer.

Don’t Test at All?

That’s just one of the problems travelers might face when trying to get tested. With so many cases, health officials in much of the country are asking asymptomatic people NOT to undergo testing. The CDC recommends testing for asymptomatic people only if they believe they’ve come into contact with the virus. And the FDA only just granted one company, LabCorp, authorization to test asymptomatic people for the virus.

Ideally, the time between testing and would take just one day. Ideally, anyone could undergo testing, asymptomatic or not. But in the United States, it’s just not that easy.

This isn’t a “one size fits all” problem. In some states, people have an easier time with testing. In Washington State, for example, my mom and sister showed no symptoms and decided they’d test for Covid-19 anyway. They showed up and tested immediately. The results still took a couple of days. In San Francisco, KGO-TV reported multi-day waits just to get a test (much less results), while many are being told “no symptoms, no test.”

No Easy Solution for Travelers

I hate to say it, but the best advice is to forego international travel if possible. The delays in getting Covid-19 test results could disrupt your travel plans or at least give you some anxious moments. If you don’t get your negative result in time for your flight, you may not be going anywhere.

Alternatively, you could visit a place that will test you upon arrival or one that allows you a longer window between testing and travel. Plus, a small number of countries have no major restrictions on U.S. visitors. Check our definitive guide for the latest.

Before making plans, ask your doctor or local health department about the availability of testing and the length of time to get results for your area. If you can find a way to get tested and get the results back in time, that’s half the battle.

Then, get tested as soon as possible within the testing window. If it’s a 72-hour window, don’t wait. Make sure you have as close to 72 hours between your test and your travel as possible. And finally, self-isolate (if you can) after getting tested. Wear a mask when out in public and traveling. Don’t risk unknowingly bringing the virus to another place.

Final Thoughts

The delays in getting Covid-19 test results are making travel an even bigger challenge this year. And until we have a vaccine or the virus is under control, I am not anticipating the situation to ease.

This year, we’ve been reminded that travel carries with it much responsibility. We wear face coverings to protect others from Covid-19, and those who don’t might get kicked off their flight. We see the harm our carelessness can cause if we don’t take the virus seriously. It’s enough to ask if we should even travel now.

The other day, I booked a small hotel in Washington State’s San Juan Islands. We were looking for something to do in lieu of our (now canceled) trip to Ireland. And since we’ll be in the Northwest anyway, we decided to spend a few days in this beautiful corner of the country.

I had to put in my home address during the online booking process. And I started wondering if the hotel owners would be comfortable with us staying there. The San Juans have a small number of Covid-19 cases, while our home on the Gulf Coast is a virus hot spot. To our hosts, our visit may represent a small but significant risk.

It is our responsibility to minimize that risk to our hosts. So we’ll stay home and self-isolate in the final days before our departure. We’ll wear masks and social distance while we travel, because both have been proven effective. We appreciate that we can travel right now, even though limited. With or without testing, we can still do our best to keep the places we visit free of this harmful virus.

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All photos via Shutterstock