I was traveling internationally and needed a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival at my destination. Given a 35-hour travel time with a layover in another country, which also required a PCR test for entry, my window for testing was 37 hours, limited by operating hours of the testing facility. Both countries required travel authorization applications to be submitted online with multiple documents attached, including the PCR test results, at least several hours prior to departure to allow for processing and approval. Although the negative result came in within 16 hours of testing, in the middle of the night (my flight departing at 1pm that day), the form apparently doesn't trigger an error when the date of sample taken isn't entered, and it defaults to 1/1/1970. That caused my travel authorization to be rejected. I emailed the lab immediately as the phone isn't answered there till 9 am, with an urgent request for a correction. The email reply, in a newer-looking and more detailed form came 36 hours later. This is clearly unacceptable when your trip depends on the accuracy of the report. I know lab technicians work around the clock and I appreciate their efforts, however, reporting on test results must be held to a much stricter standard, with mandatory input for critical information that doesn't allow for any pre-filled default information to be accepted for generating the report. International travel is stressful enough in Covid times, negligence of this sort should not be adding to it. read more
