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Are you talking about PCR tests, or antigen tests? All I can tell you is that this week, my Aunt and I were both flying out of EWR. She needed a PCR test for
by skohan 5y ago
Are you talking about PCR tests, or antigen tests?
All I can tell you is that this week, my Aunt and I were both flying out of EWR. She needed a PCR test for the flight which was supposed to be Tuesday, and she started looking on Friday, but it was almost impossible to find anywhere with an appointment available before Thursday. And even those gave a very fuzzy 1-3 day estimate for results, which is quite unhelpful when you have to take the test within 72 hours of departure.
She spent an entire day trying to find somewhere which would take walk-ins, and eventually found a place through a fiend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend who could get her in, although she did have to push the flight back by a day.
From my perspective, this just seemed totally broken. I don't understand how there could not be a vendor, easily discoverable through Google which could deliver same-day or next-day results at whatever price the market would bear, even if it was $300 or $500 or whatever.
It felt like being in a developing country where things just can't be depended on to work properly.
- smabie 5y agoYou can order at-home rapid antigen supervised (over webcam) tests to your home that are accepted for flights. Not sure it would come over night though. But you're right it is totally broken: they should be auctioning these PCR testing slots to the highest bidder. But of course then there would uproar about "price gouging." Somewhat similar to how everyone is complaining they can't find PS5s and yet Sony is unwilling to raise topics because the optics would be bad.
- skohan 5y agoAre you sure there are at-home antigen tests which are universally accepted for international travel? I have been on a number of international flights during this period, and having read the entry requirements for a few different countries, this would be the first I have heard of this.
- smabie 5y agoYes, however I just checked and they seem unavailable at the moment.