Planning a safe Christmas celebration with a free asymptomatic Covid test

Christmas is already on the way and I am sure that everyone of us has already got a plan to travel for the biggest, most exciting holiday of the year. Like other international students, I also have plans to travel to London and celebrate Christmas with close friends. In order to ensure the safety for myself and my friends, I have abided by the guidance from the UK Government and the university to travel within student travel window as well as take a free asymptomatic test before kick-starting my trip. I also highly recommend you follow the same instruction to make sure that you will have a safe and sound winter break not only for you, but also for your friends, family and the local community.

First of all, be aware of the student travel window guidance from the government before making plans for your holiday traveling. The government is asking students to travel home or plan holiday trips between 3 December and 9 December to ensure that students are already home by the end of the winter term "but also reduce any transmission risk". For that reason, the university has also ensured that all face-to-face teaching will end on 9 December and online teaching will continue until 11 December. You can find out more about the University's end of term arrangements here.

Second of all, if you don’t have symptoms of Covid-19, you can now book a free asymptomatic test provided by the university before traveling. The university is working with NHS Test & Trace to set-up on-campus asymptomatic tests for all students without symptoms from 30 November to 9, 10,11,14 December. Each student is advised to take 2 asymptomatic tests, 3-day apart, and once you have your second negative test result, you should travel within 24 hours. More information about free asymptomatic tests can be found here.

As a matter of fact, I acknowledge that some of you might be afraid and nervous when thinking about taking this test.  To be honest, I get what your concern as I am not a person who likes getting things poked into me, whether it's a needle, scope and any equipment. Taking this test also means you will have to use a swab and execute the whole process by yourself. Don't worry too much, the whole process is not painful at all and it will be over very quick - before you even notice. Eventually, I know I have to overcome my fear as what’s more important is that I want to make sure that it's safe for me to travel for the holiday period and I can help to protect my friends and the local communities. That's why I had already taken the 2 asymptomatic tests within this week, the first one was on 2 December and the second one was on 5 December. And all of my results are negative so now I feel much relieved and more confident to embark on my trip. I think that the experience of taking the test is indeed very valuable and worth- trying and so I want to share them with you. Here are some steps of what you should do:

1)  Book a free asymptomatic test.

To book a free asymptomatic test, you'd need to complete this online form.

The server can be busy at some points, don’t worry,  just keep refreshing your browser and try again after 3-5 minutes. If you still can’t access the link, you can email to asymptomatictesting@leeds.ac.uk.

Once you successfully access the website, you can choose the destination where you want to take the test and then select a suitable time slot. I recommend you book 2 tests, 3-day apart from your first  to your second one. Remember to fill in your university email, student ID and phone number.

After you have finished booking, you will receive a confirmation email from the university that will look like this. The email will provide you with detailed information about the date, location of the test and what you should bring along.

2) Come to your appointment and take the test!

You need to come to your appointment on time to take the test. Remember to take a screenshot of your email confirmation, wear a mask, bring your hand-washing liquid and a water bottle if you need.

I took my test at The Edge so it would look like this. 

 Once you reach the location, there will be many staff there who are very nice and supportive. They will give you detailed instructions on what you should do:

• Register online, you will need to fill in some of your information. The staff will give you a piece of paper with the barcode, all you have to do is scan the barcode and register online. It’s fast and simple, just about 5-10 minutes. Make sure that you keep the paper for your test result.
• Then you will be directed into a testing booth that will look like this. The test you are taking is called Lateral Flow Device Tes and you will be offered a self-swab test. You will need to read the guidelines and carefully follow those steps by yourself.  Take your time, don’t worry too much and be brave!! The test only lasts from 3-5 minutes. In case you need assistance, there are staff there who are willingly to support you.

• Once you are finished, you can return the swab back to the staff sitting at the booths following the guidance. Then you can exit the testing site. After you finish, you might experience just a little discomfort in your nose and nostril. In fact, I think the whole process is not as painful as I have imagined, and it's definitely more pleasant than taking injections.

3)   Receive your test result.

You will receive the result within an hour through the phone number and the email you have provided when you register online. I was very happy to receive a negative test result!

In case you need any further information as regards the test and the test results, you can take a look at the university website.

To conclude, it will only take you 5-10 minutes to book the tests and around 30-40 minutes to take the real tests. The whole process is easy, simple and valuable. So I really hope some of my experience can help you guys to understand more the process of booking and taking the asymptomatic Covid-19 test. I strongly encourage you guys to book the tests soon before traveling to keep yourself as well as your loved ones safe and healthy.

And finally with all of my blessings, I hope that you will have a safe, wonderful and memorable Christmas holiday in the UK.