Getting documentation of recovery if you test positive while overseas.(updated 5.9.22)

These were the directions I received from quick.md when I wrote them to confirm an individual who was overseas could receive the documentation of recovery from them. The bold print is to highlight some key ideas. The words are a direct quote.

"Thank you for reaching out.

We can provide you with documentation of recovery. You need to present your official written positive result during your appointment. We are currently ONLY accepting COVID results via PCR, Antigen, or Rapid. PROCTORED at-home test results may be accepted if you are able to provide printed results or a soft-copy. Test must be taken within 90 days from your appointment date. Home test kits and antibody tests will not be honored.

Please check with your airline of choice and destination if this would be accepted and if there is any more information they wish to be included in the certificate to avoid any issues. As per the CDC's new guidelines, you can be seen on the 5th day after you were tested positive of the virus provided you are asymptomatic or with improving symptoms.

[UPDATE: there have been reports that Quickmd has changed their policy to 10 days. I suggest you contact them directly for the most up to date information ]
**
You can book a video appointment by creating an account here or you can log in to your QuickMD account if you have already created one, schedule an appointment by finding a time that best works for you. Choose Urgent Care as the Appointment Type, Doctor's Note as the reason. **You need to use your US home address and US contact number in your account to be able to see a provider. Each person requiring the note is to create an account with QuickMD and book an appointment under their respective accounts.

Within a few hours after the consultation, the doctor will email you the document to your email address as a PDF."

Carol, I really appreciate the time you are taking to share this information! I will be traveling to Italy soon, and these types of posts are making me feel much more comfortable traveling on a solo trip and having a risk plan predetermined in case I would test positive.

Carol, thank you for providing this information.

In addition to contacting the personal physician, one could try to set up a virtual appointment. I am going to check with my physician prior to my trip if this is a possibility.

One thing I do not understand is how this process would work if the COVID positive individual is asymptomatic. How would one know if they've recovered if there are no symptoms? And if they are asymptomatic they could have been COVID positive for quite a while. So maybe they are already recovered when they test positive??

Jules, if the only time a person tests while on a trip is the day before he/she returns home, then that could be the first time he/she knows about being positive. I am considering doing a simple home test every few days on my trip. If I were to come up positive, I would get an official test right away to get that 5 day clock ticking……

Carol, I think that's a plan! I was going to do a home test a few days before so that there would hopefully not be a surprise, but I think we'll test 5 days before we plan to come home and go from there.

Maybe we can hope the U.S. testing requirement will end. . . .

Carol, very helpful and if the requirements are still in place next month when I travel, I have a backup plan thanks to you.

Carol,

Thanks for posting this as one consolidated resource. I posted this question under Spain a few days ago and appreciated the response I received.

I said I would check with my medical center, which I did. We belong to Kaiser, and since it is in many places in the country, it might help others.

They said to email your doctor on the KP app with the details of when you tested positive and when the 5 day quarantine is up (with no further signs of COVID) and the doctor would email the Letter of Recovery on the app.

I dont mean to be argumentative or to question how people are dealing with this situation. But I honestly want to know how things are working. There are three questions I have about the documentation of recovery.

1) if you are in country X, it seems that their rules apply. So if they require 10 days or whatever of quarantine, that applies, regardless of what CDC or the airline says, right? So even going to the airport or public transportation is a violation of quarantine, even if X will be happy to be rid of you?
2) US doctors are not omnipotent with worldwide authority. I see how quick.md is getting around that by requiring you to use a US address, but still seems kind of misleading. I've seen telmedicine at work, and know its a legitimate thing, but how a doctor could say you were recovered without even a listen to your chest seems like a stretch. My doctor wouldn't do it, especially without an insurance code. And there are plenty of "doctors" who will sign anything. I could call my friend the Nigerian prince (he owes me a favor) and ask him to get his doctor to sign a letter and I'm good. Doesn't seem right.
3) it seems like a lot of people are glossing over the "you must be asymptomatic" part of the requirement. Of the 12-15 different symptoms of COVID, I probably have 2-3 on any given day in normal times. Again, seems like a stretch to certify from a few thousand miles away.

Is it just a matter of meeting the letter of the law, however you can? I'm not saying I wouldn't do those things to get home as well, I am just curious, not looking for a fight.

Thank you Carol for posting this! I've been researching this topic quite a bit and I am on several Facebook groups for travel planning to Italy including one that is specific to Covid. Many people posting about being stuck in isolation or quarantine in Italy. Unfortunately, it sounds like there is no bypassing the Italian requirements for isolation no matter what a doctor says. It's a mandatory quarantine there and the hotels are serious about it. They also require whoever is NOT positive to isolate in a different room. The airlines is another story. What I'm hearing for Italy is that it's a tricky intersection between the Italian requirements for quarantine and the US guideline for quarantine. But even the CDC says "when traveling" you must quarantine for 10 days if you test positive. So essentially what I've been hearing from the anecdotes is that it all depends on the employees you encounter during this journey of trying to get home and their interpretation of the rules.

I realize Italy is the most strict and this doesn't apply to other countries.

I'll try to find the article, but I read yesterday that the administration has no intention of dropping the return flight testing requirement on April 19th when it expires, despite the pleas from the airline and travel industry. So we will likely be dealing with this upon our return April 23. We were so confident it would be dropped too.

@Stan
I agree that the requirements of the country you are in will control how long, or even if, you quarantine. Those requirements are often changing as well. This thread is focused on how to get documentation of recovery to fly home which is a separate issue and can be generalized.

And the other important point is: Don't wait until the day before your flight to find out your are asymptomatic positive.

Do home tests every few days, and if you come up positive, get an "official" test, so your quarantine clock can start ticking immediately.

It's best to avoid last minute surprises.

I second/third the suggestion about testing oneself every few days with the home tests. I did this during my trip to France in Sept. 2021 -- never tested positive, but I sure slept better knowing I was on top of it. I'm getting my things ready for a trip there in two weeks, and I'm arranging a bunch of the tests I've amassed (OK, hoarded) over the past few months.

Edited to say: And I do this regardless of symptoms! As an allergy sufferer, I'm always a bit sneezy/stuffy, so I can't rely on that to tell me if I'm sick. :)

Once again
Thank you so much Carol

Thank you everyone for all the research that is going in to this topic. SO very helpful.

Collamore...interesting about the Administration not planning to drop the testing requirement.

I messaged the Binax folks last week to ask if the over the counter non-proctored tests needed to stay in the box since those boxes are so unwieldy. The person that answered said yes, they need to stay boxed to stay protected so I am taking one of those with 2 tests and one of the ones that were free from Uncle Sam and are in a smaller box in my carry on. That will give me 4 over a month. I'd like to take another one but I do not have room for that box.

@ Betts. Did you mean to post this on the France thread with a similar topic? It makes a bit more sense in that context.

I was just going to ask that ;)

collamore

It is my understanding that it is the masking on flights requirement that expires on April 18 not test requirement
( it was recently extended to that date)
Masking may be dropped, may not

Haven’t seen anything about testing requirements other than all of us hoping it is dropped

And then, there are some of us (me) that have burned their entire Schengen visa in Rome. Well, actually 87 days. If I test positive, I will not have enough days left on my visa to stay for the quarantine.

The plot thickens....

If you test positive in Italy - are you REQUIRED to quarantine in a hotel? We are going for a month in July and staying almost exclusively in vacation rental lodgings, not hotels.

And those of you who tested often during an extended stay abroad - did you bring rapid tests with you from the US or pick them up there?

Not an expert, not even close..... I did look at the Italy website and if I understood it correctly, each region of Italy can institute their own quarantine measures. I think you would need to look at the guidelines for the region that you test positive in. The general term used is self-isolate.

This website lists the different regions and you could follow the link to find more specific information for your region. Remember, google translate is your friend here.
http://www.regioni.it/regioni-online/

Great thread, but I’m still a little confused. If I test positive in Rome, then I need to quarantine for 10 days and ALSO have a recovery letter?

Are people self testing before the official test and if positive finding a place to stay to wait it out? Don’t want to get stuck in a Covid hotel.

@dmae. Exceptions are being made for those who overstay due to a mandatory COVID quarantine.

@ lulu. The requirements of the country (or region) you are visiting are a separate issue. The certificate of recovery is so you can enter the United States while still testing positive for Covid.

THANK YOU for this topic, Carol. Very helpful, as I'm still on the fence about a scheduled trip to the UK, 8 weeks from now. Worried about Plan B (testing positive, whether or not symptomatic, while in the UK, and getting cleared to fly home). This discussion has clarified that picture, and I appreciate it.

It had occurred to me, to take test kits and self-test during my 14 days in the UK, and then follow up a positive test with an "official" test ASAP to start the clock on that. Good to see that I'm not the only one with that idea! I may be the last one to know this; the USDOT website says: "Unused COVID-19 test kits do not contain dangerous goods and are typically allowed in both carry-on and checked baggage." Good to know.

Or fly to a Canadian border city and drive back home. This whole process is moronic.

Thank you for this. I may just cancel now- this is way too confusing and could be very costly even with insurance (as many don't cover the extended trip time only "trip interruption"

Makes no sense that I could drive to Canada, party like an animal, and return sick as a dog with no test .... or take a cruise out of FL, same deal. I have been all good with following the rules but now they no longer make a lot of sense - lacking in consistency

Again though thank you for this information and the ideas of others (testing during the trip ,etc ) May have to ponder :).

I may have missed it in the above posts, but what is the current quarantine time requirement for those testing positive in Italy?

Jon, I don’t think there is a definitive answer to this question. I believe each region is responsible for setting the local requirements. In addition, these types of requirements tend to change. What was true 3 weeks ago may not be true today. Should you test positive in Italy, I would check with the local health authorities.

I will be traveling to Europe at the end of the month, and I plan to self-test every few days while I am on my trip, as others have mentioned.

The other thing I decided to do was to get PCR tested here in the States, for the last several weeks. I have never had any symptoms, but was concerned that I might be surprised by an asymptomatic positive when trying to fly home. So I thought it might be better to find that out while still at home so I could start my "recovery" clock ticking and get my letter of recovery before I even left the States.

So far, my covid PCR tests have been negative. At least that gives me some peace of mind that I will be going to Europe without covid. Then I just have to stay that way while traveling, which is far more likely to occur there than in my poorly vaccinated mask-averse town in the US.

Whew! Thank you so much Carol, for your very thorough and extensive post. Let's see if I have this right re: flying to the US afer testing positive (I know the proctored tests work for the CDC & I imagine would work for French regulators). I need to isolate for 5 days and then either 1) test negative or 2) have a doctor's certificate of recovery. Is this correct? And the doctor could either be a French doctor or my doctor back in the US? If I test positive after the 5 days could I at that point get a certificate of recovery from a doctor in France? Perhaps through an organization like doctors sans Frontiers? I'm sure that somewhere in this post or in others is the answer to my question I don't seem to be able to find it. And thanks again, Carol for your help regarding the proctored Binex tests. We now have 2 each and it looks like we will be able to test via our iPad. We have also decided like several others to take some home tests with us and start testing may be a week or 10 days before our scheduled departure back to the US.

Near the top of the thread (2nd post) is a link to information about a telemedicine service
https://quick.md/
There are detailed directions. Some people are still confused because the website page at this website has not caught up with CDC regulations, but the practice has. The information in post 2 came from quickmd so don't let the website fool you. You can get documentation of recovery 5 days after your documented positive test.
If you would like to find a French doctor because you feel that is your best choice, your hotel can help you find a referral.

Read these posts....good information but I'm not sure I understand the benefit of self testing during the trip. We will be gone for a month this May in Greece. What is the benefit of taking self test 5 days before flying home? If you test positive 5 days before leaving on self test (or at any other point during the trip for that matter) how does this help you ? You still must get a negative test the day before departure. Not sure I understand the idea of starting the quarantine clock (if you test positive on self test) ahead of scheduled departure if you do test positive. Nobody knows if you test positive on self test besides you. Hopefully somebody can clarify this to me.

Thank you again Carol for this very informative post. Tested positive in France Monday although I had mild symptoms last week which I thought were allergies. Was supposed to fly home the next morning. If I would have tested every several days as recommended in this forum, my official positive Covid test would have started my isolation countdown. Now I believe I must wait out the seven day isolation rule as dictated by the French government (if I am wrong please, please tell me so). Covid home testing kits are widely available here at pharmacies and not costly. When I came to Paris in September 2021, I purchased an insurance plan that covered quarantine costs in the event of illness. This trip, nope. Will keep testing daily to see if the virus clears out sooner than later. Stay well all!

@misshkitty. I hope you are well and on your way home soon!!

What is a recovery letter? How do you get one after quarantining?

What is a recovery letter? How do you get one after quarantining?

Did you read the thread?

Where do you present the letter of recovery to check in to your flight? The negative tests can be uploaded to an online check in but if still positive after isolation how do u submit the letter?

One other layer, when I asked my travel insurance (Tinleg) what they would need for a claim (if the need arises): they want the letter of recovery on letterhead (!?) (in addition to documentation of a positive test).

I wonder how this jibes with other's information, and/or with the letters they have received from telemedicine appointments (for example, if receiving a letter of recovery via email, Im scratching my head about how that would be on letterhead). I will call the insurance company and ask for clarification.

And on a small note, the doctor cannot be a family member... in case someone has that possibility.

@frankiedolls- you show your certificate of recovery at the airport check in desk

@Jessica- The certificate of recovery would be on letterhead . It would be saved as a pdf file attached to an email and sent to you. You would print this out.

Thanks Carol - Im not 'worried' about that for myself (because its my particular case so I will make sure it happens). I just wanted to let others know that this is a thing, and may be a thing for them :)

Thanks so much for this conversation and helpful information. Has anyone asked QuickMD to “confirm” the positive test result performed at a local pharmacy and issue a letter that you should isolate? One of the travel insurance companies said their coverage for additional hotel/meals (travel delay) requires a doctor to order your isolation when you test positive.

I’m still working out which policy will be the best fit for my upcoming trip to Italy and France if I had to delay my return flight. Safe travels all!

Thank you for sharing this very helpful information. Leaving for Budapest on Monday May 2. Just e-mailed my physician to ask if he would issue an attestation of recovery if I test positive in Paris prior to scheduled departure on May 22. I will also do a self test 5 - 7 days prior just to check. So helpful to know to do it ahead of time to get the time clock clicking for the quarantine. BTW- I did purchase the additional coverge for COVID - related stay over from Travel Guard. Just for a little peace of mind.

I guess there are worse places to get stuck than Paris - at least the food will be good -even if you can't get out and see anything.......

Just for clarification. if I do a self test 6 days before I leave and it’s positive, this starts the 5-day time clock to get a Recovery Letter and then receive it. The day before I leave Italy I have to take the official test and it’s positive, but I have my recovery letter. I can actually board the plane?

You need an official test to start the isolation period and get the recovery letter so you won’t be able to continue your trip if you test positive 6 days out

IOW if you do a self test and it is positive you will need to then go get official test right away unless you are referring to the proctored self test.

You will also have to check with your airlines to see what they require and what they will accept.

Looks like United is requiring 10 days no matter what
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/stuck-in-italy-after-testing-positive

Thank you, Christine. Yes, I meant the official test. I will self-test first. If positive then take my Binax Proctored test to start the clock.

This is what Rick Steves tours said yesterday in their Weekly Covid News.

Although quarantine and isolation requirements vary by location, we’re finding that most often the delay in returning to the US is at least 10 days. For example: If a person tests positive and isolates for five days, they must test negative on the fifth day to re-enter the US. If they continue to test positive, the CDC mandates they complete a minimum total of 10 days in quarantine before they can obtain a recovery letter signed by a doctor which allows them to re-enter the US.

I feel a bit frustrated at this point. Partly with the CDC for its confusing presentation of conflicting policies and partly because I have to keep explaining this.

Quick MD does not require that you wait 10 days for a certificate of recovery. I realize that part of their website says that, just like part of the CDC website says 10 days. However, the CDC recommendations changed for asymptomatic individuals and so did Quick MD policy.

I couldn't do more than ask this question directly to a doctor at Quick MD and post his response which is very clear about the change in policy. It is the second post on this thread. Quck MD will provide a certificate of recovery 5 days after a official positive test for an asymptomatic individual or someone whose symptoms are improving.

Each individual will end up in a slightly different situation and it won't be accurate to generalize one person's experience with what you may face. Rick Steves covid news tried to do that with the post quoted above and they failed miserably and have ended up giving misleading information. If they had said something like, "It looks like it ends up being about 10 days for most of our participants" and left it at that they would have been far ahead.

3 factors combine to determine the length one must wait prior to returning to the US.
1. The requirements of the host country. Italy seems one of the strictest. Iceland and UK some of the least restrictive.
2. How long it takes the person to test negative or get a certificate of recovery.

3. The requirements of their particular airline when they call and ask for a flight change. (United seems strictest so far)

My summary is that each individual will need to keep on top of these three items should they find themselves in this situation. What was the answer for another individual may not be the answer for your situation in terms of any of these factors.

Venting a little here..... Feel free to pass or ignore.

I started this thread to give practical advice for people in a difficult situation. I have tried to provide factual information that is useful to people about certificates of recovery. In many ways my goal has been met. I have received several messages from individuals that used the information here to get a certificate of recovery and head home. They were very appreciative. Others have appreciated the opportunity to think through this in advance of their trip and develop a plan. I'm glad, that is what this was for. In fact, doing this research helped me prepare for my trip tomorrow.

I didn't expect the number of people who would comment without actually reading the main posts. I didn't expect to have to explain the same things over and over. I didn't expect people to post information that wasn't completely true. I felt frustrated enough today that I even thought about just taking the thread down so I didn't have to constantly address misinformation. Then I remembered those that this has been helpful to. I guess it is worth the frustration if someone can be helped.

Venting over.........

I’m sorry Carol
This thread has been hugely helpful and I agree, so many not actually reading what is here and adding their own misinformation is frustrating and that is occurring in other threads as well

All we can do is call it out and correct as best we can
I for one am grateful for the accurate info posted just too bad we have to wade thru the other junk

Carol & all, I am sorry about the confusing post regarding what I saw on QuickMed’s website this morning (wish they would update it!). I deleted it. I remembered that you had previously said 5 days. When I went into the websites to update my plans this morning, I thought they had increased the number of days to 10 now.

I have appreciated this post very much while trying to plan ahead for possible outcomes on my Italy trip.

Carol, I sincerely apologize and will send you a PM. This post is what gave me the QuickMed source, so I hope you will keep it up to help others.

@ Jean. That is kind of you, but no worries. These are difficult times and your heart was in the right place.

HELP!!!
We just bought tickets to France and I need input!!
I am one of those poor unfortunate souls who has only one dose of C19 vaccine - had a very bad reaction (with some heart issues) and was advised to take no more by my doctor. There are literally no exceptions regardless of doctor advice. We were going to go to France - test there to get in and test to come back. I also happened to get Covid this past December - well after my reaction. I have been testing both wild and vaccine antibodies with my doctor, so I know I have them. I think the likelihood of testing positive is very low as we already had Covid, but we are really stressed about the whole quarantine situation. We don't have leeway to stay for 10 days additional - would I have to stay longer because of my status if I tested positive? I was excited about going but now I just feel very stressed. I think I have some PTSD from what happened to me in the past year. I have until 10 PM tonight to cancel the flights. Help. Have people gotten stuck in countries? Thanks for the input.

This is what Rick Steves tours said yesterday in their Weekly Covid News.

mnannie, where is this ”Weekly Covid News”? I keep seeing people refer ro what is going on on the tours, but I don’t know where they are getting this info. Thanks.

@Kate. Yes, people have tested positive and have had to extend their trips. It doesn’t happen to everyone but it is a possibility you should be aware of.

@ Laura, the weekly tour reports are found by going to the main tour page and clicking on the picture of a bus. Word of warning, some of their advice on this week’s report may not be entirely accurate or the best advice for your individual situation.

My heart goes out to anyone who is considering travel and worried about covid. We traveled recently out of the country and were very careful, but still tested positive. It was a very stressful situation, half of our group stayed on until they tested negative, those who were negative, tested positive upon arrival home. It looks like the covid reports from the RS tours are having about a 1% positive rate. It’s good to hear it’s fairly low, but as we found out, if it happens to you, it’s 100%. When I first planned our trip, I thought covid would long be gone, but unfortunately it isn’t. I won’t travel internationally again until covid is treated “like a cold”, which I think will happen eventually. Of course, those who have traveled and not had any covid issues, probably feel the hassle and possible worry were worth it. It’s always about your own perspective. The good news for us is that none of our party were very sick and we are grateful for that! Good luck with your flight decision.

@carolnowretired

Thanks!

We ended up canceling our flights, which turned into a whole situation - my flight had not actually been ticketed - only my hubby.

I took it as a sign. I am pretty bummed. I don't have the mental ability to be testing all the time to start some count. I can test there and back but a 1 out of 100 chance of being positive and then having to stay in quarantine....that's not a vacation. Like someone said, until we start treating it like an endemic thing that is going around everywhere, this doesn't seem fun.

Thanks Carol!

I just returned from Portugal after testing positive for Covid on the test required to return to the US. Called my primary care doctor immediately. As I was mildly symptomatic for 2 days before and the CDC guidelines as well as United call for 10 day isolation/quarantine, I had to wait until 10th day to schedule my flight. Doctor provided Recovery Letter and with the lab report, I was able to board my flight. Advice: have full travel insurance, read CDC site, have good relationship with your doctor and learn how to say thanks in the native language, a lot.

I wanted to update this thread. I used QuickMD today (May 5) for the recovery certificate. I tested positive with no symptoms a week ago and they will not give the certificate less than 10 days. I read to them what Carol wrote from QuickMD in the post at the beginning of this thread and I was told a memo came out a few days ago and 10 days is the minimum no matter what. Not what I wanted to hear and I hope others have better luck than me.

I just emailed quickmd. Their response was 5 - 10 days of isolation. Unless the ‘memo’ hasn’t reached the automated response—nothing has changed.

H99,
I would try quickmd again. Maybe you connected with a doctor without the proper knowledge. Additionally, delta fly ready also details a cdc mandated 5-10 day isolation for positive tests (or any local requirement, if longer). Or maybe quickmd changed their requirements. Good luck.

Oh, I hope that they haven’t changed back to 10 days. I would do my best to convince for the 5.

jchill1983 -- please provide a little more details about your experience. Your experience is valuable as many of us are searching for answers and finding incomplete stories in these threads.

The CDC guidance is:

You tested positive for COVID-19:
-------Do not travel until a full 10 days after your symptoms started or the date your positive test was taken if you had no symptoms.

In your experience, was it 10 days from the date of your positive test? Or because you were symptomatic was it 10 days from the start of your symptoms?

How did it work in terms of days? Can you provide actual or example dates? If you tested positive on May 1, for example, is that day 0 or day 1 of the 10 day clock? The CDC language is vague and in my opinion can be interpreted to mean you cannot travel until one of these dates, May 10, 11, or 12th, depending on how you want to count "full days after".

How did communicating with your primary care doctor back home help you navigate this? Were you still testing positive days after? You mention they gave you a letter or recovery? After how many days? What about the lab report? Is that from getting another test in Portugal?

Carol, thank you so much for your research. I now know what to do after testing positive in Italy!
I’ve also researched the Italian requirements. Having a plan reduced stress immensely!

So it seems like QuickMD's policy is indeed 10 days now until you can get the recovery note. It looks like they just updated it a few days ago.

My trip is in 2 weeks and I am still going over all the possibilities in my head trying to plan for the worst and want to make sure I know how I can get a recovery letter just in case. For that reason I checked QuickMD's FAQ today. Here are the guidelines: https://support.quick.md/hc/en-us/articles/4435858554772-What-are-the-requirements-for-a-Documentation-of-Recovery-note-

Copied and pasted below with the bolded updated part about 10 day isolation:

To get a Documentation of Recovery you will need the following:

1 A positive COVID result done within the last 90 days (PCR or Antigen) by an official lab

Home tests and antibody tests are not accepted. Antibody tests and COVID home tests (self-tests) cannot be used as proof of positive COVID test unless PROCTORED.

QuickMD providers do not conduct proctored COVID exams for patient's at-home tests

2 Patient's will need to quarantine 10 days since their official positive COVID test despite vaccination status as per CDC's guidelines (updated March 2022)

3 As per QuickMD's policy, patient's will need to quarantine 10 days since official positive COVID test despite symptom start date. (updated May 2022)

4 End of self-quarantine/isolation and eligibility to travel under the following conditions: 1. 24 hours with no fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and 2. other COVID-related symptoms are getting better

The CDC info says you wait 10 days after symptoms started or positive test so I'm not sure testing during your trip will help significantly unless you got a positive test 10 days before you were returning home and that would be a bummer in more ways than one.

@aimee. I think that the value of testing during trip can depend quite a bit on the country you are visiting. If the country doesn't require isolation, you are still enjoying your trip but the clock has started on your 10 days. If the country requires isolation, it does mean your exploring will come to an end. For some people, the need to get home to work, etc. trumps all.

I plan to test periodically (every 3-4 days) during the tour regardless of if there're symptoms; it's one way to keep other people in the same tour group safe. The sooner one finds out they're positive (and happen to be asymptomatic); the sooner one can go into isolation and reduce the time of potential exposure to others.

Thanks for this thread, Carol. I’ve bookmarked it as we leave for RS Eastern France tour next week. Sure don’t want to have to use the info, but feel better being somewhat prepared, just in case.

https://support.quick.md/hc/en-us/articles/4435858554772-What-are-the-requirements-for-a-Documentation-of-Recovery-note-

Hi all. I am back again. We canceled our tickets to France for June but are relooking at a trip there again. My husband's boss said he could work from France on the off chance we get stuck there and not be able to return, so that resolves that problem. My only other concern is Covid status per country causing changes - rising cases etc. I have one dose of Moderna but ended up with heart enlargement from the shot, so can't have anymore and am basically treated as unvaccinated. Right now, we can test to fly into France, and there are no quarantines or restrictions upon arrival, as the U.S. is considered "green" right now. Has anyone else worried about restrictions/rules changing? I don't know what to do. I speak French and have not been on an international trip for almost 5 years. Our last one was canceled due to the pandemic. I just don't know if we will ever get back to a place where I can travel like a normal person. Do I go now or wait? Do other people find the changing landscape stressful too, or you just went and didn't worry about it? From a travel/enjoyment perspective, what are people's thoughts? I don't worry about testing every three days as my doc has been testing my wild antibodies and I have them. I am more worried about changing rules/regulations. These are tried and true travelers here on R.S. so wondering. I would love some input.

Kate, you ask a great question. I am going to suggest that you start an entirely new thread for your question. This thread is quite long as it is and I don't know you will get as good of response at the tail end of it. A new thread would be appropriate.

It is stressful to travel now. There is no way around it. Only you can decide what level of stress is acceptable.

Thank you so much. How would I start a new thread? Which part of RS should I put it?

@Kate. Go to the travel forum home page. Select the center Column "Trip and Trip Reports" Use the drop down menu to pick the category Covid 19 and travel. Then pick the bright blue "Start a new topic".

Hello Carol. Thanks for the great info. 2 Questions about QuickMD. We are in the Netherlands and have tested +ve so need a letter of recovery if we can’t get to negative in 10 days. We have moved our flights to test day (TD) + 11 in order to meet the quarantine requirements. Q1: On which day do we schedule our QuickMD appointment? Can it be any day before TD+10, or must we wait until that day? Q2: The QuickMD app shows appointment times, but there is no indication as to time zone!! Are they local to us (Amsterdam) or local to the state chosen in the filter (eg California)? Many thanks.

Sorry to hear about your positive tests. I have not used QuickMD personally but have read several reports from people on the forum who have had success with them.

I think people can make appointments in advance. The thing to remember is that the appointment times are non-refundable. If you make an appointment, you will be paying $75 even if you decide later you don't need it.

You have enough lead time to email QuickMD directly about your time zone question. One poster said it was European time, but I would clarify any questions directly with the provider.

The Italian requirement is now 7 days isolation. The CDC is till 10 days with Proof of a Recovery and Covid positive test. Do not test at the airport. Test the day before your flight at a local pharmacy, they’re everywhere in the big cities. It was very easy to do an online consultation with our Primary Doctor in the US and have a Proof of Recovery emailed. You need that along with your positive test to board flight home on day 11. As someone already stated, hotels are very aware of the restrictions and will call the Italian Covid hotline if they think you’re leaving your room during the 7 day isolation period. Just don’t! Have home tests with you, if you test negative after 6 days, test again on day 7, if negative, go do a pharmacy test. Don’t do a pharmacy test until you have at least 2 negative home tests. At least you will be able to get out of your room and walk around while waiting out the CDC requirement.