Scam Covid Test #1 is part of the Punxsutawney TPOL Trip Report. Even if Covid tests are going away for travel, this was written before then and is published to document a time when the public was swindled.
In order to go to the UK, I needed a magical code that said I was registered for a Covid test to be taken my second day upon arrival. The price was $100 which is a rip-off for many reasons. First, the test only cost $35 in Colombia (see Room Service: I’m Here with Your Covid Test). Second, why do vaccinated people need to be tested? The testing inconvenience should be there to compel the anti-vaxxers to get with the program or stay home (see Like the Vaccine, Why Not Get TSA PreCheck?). Those vaccinated who test positive should be able to fly. The idea that they are going to spread covid more than it has already spread and the idea of having a zero covid policy is unreasonable. Covid is not going away, so stopping people who happen to test positive from traveling is pointless. Third, the time required to register for the test, wait for a confirmation email, and fill out the locator form is a buzzkill. We spent the better half of an afternoon in Copenhagen trying to get the right test ordered and the confirmation code. Of course, when we arrived in Scotland, the testing company said that the test would not be delivered before our trip to Belfast two days later.
Just stay home. It is easier.
Especially when I can’t walk
Ludicrous. The rules were loosened very quickly when the pandemic ended, unlike in the USA which still requires extremely inconvenient and expensive tests.