Changing Covid testing requirements

[gopbroek]

Yep. I don't keep a printer at home so I ask my daughter to mail them to me, which can take a week for her to get to, mail, and arrive. I complete the immigration form a month before arrival, download it, and send it to her in a day or two - plenty of time. I also ask her to print a blank customs form and send it in case the plane doesn't have any as they don't always, and finding them while in line can be a hassle.

If you are that single person in America without access to yours, a friend or neighbors printer there is always Kinkos @ $0.49 a page. Google maps shows three in Lubbock. Immigration is 2 pages black or white or color single sided or double side and I believe the customs is a single page.

 

[Titatom]

The immigration form I believe can be filled out up to 30 days before travel. I did ours last weekend for our flight that leaves on April 27th. Customs is 3 days as of when we were down there in November. We have never had an issue taking the online forms, just make sure they are flat, and not faded or cut off. I always take a couple of copies in case there is an issue with one of the printouts.

@Zman96 When you said "make sure they are flat" - did you mean Do not fold the printouts? Thanks!

 

[DandyDon]

@Zman96 When you said "make sure they are flat" - did you mean Do not fold the printouts? Thanks!

Good question, as I always fold mine.

Don, I’m willing to bet that your approach is unique! What do you have against printers?

I just don't have much use so I don't bother. I did get one once, it malfunctioned, HP tech support couldn't fix it, so I gave up.

cyan

What?

If you are that single person in America without access to yours, a friend or neighbors printer there is always Kinkos @ $0.49 a page. Google maps shows three in Lubbock.

I suspect that there are vast numbers of Americans who don't keep printers at home. It came up in discussion with my cardiologist, and she doesn't either, but then she uses office printers at her clinic. Anyway, thanks for the Kinkos suggestion, I'll see how that works, but Lubbock is an hours drive so asking my daughter in Lubbock to mail me a printout once every few months is easier.

Why are we discussing printers...?!

 

[tridacna]

Good question, as I always fold mine.

I just don't have much use so I don't bother. I did get one once, it malfunctioned, HP tech support couldn't fix it, so I gave up.

What? View attachment 717621

I suspect that there are vast numbers of Americans who don't keep printers at home. It came up in discussion with my cardiologist, and she doesn't either, but then she uses office printers at her clinic. Anyway, thanks for the Kinkos suggestion, I'll see how that works, but Lubbock is an hours drive so asking my daughter in Lubbock to mail me a printout once every few months is easier.

Why are we discussing printers...?!

YOU BROUGHT IT UP!

 

[gopbroek]

Why are we discussing printers...?!

Because it is Scuba Board
We always diverge. Having said that, you connected to HP's customer / tech support I can understand why you hate printers.

 

[DandyDon]

Because it is Scuba Board
We always diverge. Having said that, you connected to HP's customer / tech support I can understand why you hate printers.

I don't. I use one every few months. Well, my daughter doesn't keep one at home either, uses one at her office.

 

[cvchief]

How soon before arrival can you fill them in? Do any immigration officers give you a hard time with the online forms?

No. In fact I did them for my niece and her husband and printing double sided they don't match up well. Annoyed me greatly. But I was advised no one cares. So I gave them to them and it turns out no one cares. Went through easy peasy.

 

[gopbroek]

Federal judge blocks mask mandate for public transportation

A federal judge on Monday voided the Biden administration's mask mandate for travelers using public transportation such as trains and airplanes.

www.foxnews.com

Hopefully the test requirements follow. At this point if the administration appeals and is able to keep the mask mandate it will no longer be a CDC mandate but a Biden administration Mandate.

 

[DandyDon]

I've really enjoyed the break from colds and flu the last couple of years. I guess we'll go back to those even tho it's late in that season.

Doctors see increase in prolonged cold, flu symptoms

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — As mask mandates subside, health officials are seeing an increase in prolonged symptoms connected to the common cold and influenza.

Over the past two years, hospitals across the nation saw record lows in influenza cases. Health experts attribute the decrease in cases to better hygiene and people wearing masks.

However, now that COVID-19 cases have stabilized, many people are lessening up on their hand-washing routines.

“When we haven’t had these common cold viruses for a couple of years, our immunity is going to be down lower than it would be,” said Dr. Liam Sullivan with Spectrum Health. “Hence, the reason people might experience symptoms a little bit longer than what we typically expect them.”

The National Institutes of Health said symptoms of the flu and COVID-19 may present the same but are caused by different viruses.

“Distinguishing COVID from flu can be difficult because the symptoms overlap so much,” explained Dr. Brooke Bozick, an NIH expert on respiratory diseases.

A mild US flu season is waning, but is it really over?
Cough, fever, tiredness and muscle aches are common to both the flu and COVID-19, says Kristen Coleman, an assistant research professor at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Symptoms specific to COVID-19 include the loss of taste or smell.

Common colds, meanwhile, tend to be milder with symptoms including a stuffy nose and sore throat. Fevers are more common with the flu.

Experts say testing is the best way to determine what you have. The viruses that cause colds, the flu and COVID-19 are spread the same way — through droplets from the nose and mouth of infected people. And they can all be spread before a person realizes they’re infected.

Spectrum Health reports that it is seeing patients who are fighting the cold and flu for up to a week.

“We rely on getting [exposure to the flu and cold] every so often, so it gives a little boost to our immune system,” Sullivan said. “That way when we do get them, the symptoms are limited to three or four days until you start to feel better.”

There is no cure for the common cold. Typical treatments include rest, fluids, and over-the-counter medicines.

 

[BRT]

I've really enjoyed the break from colds and flu the last couple of years. I guess we'll go back to those even tho it's late in that season.

Doctors see increase in prolonged cold, flu symptoms

You can buy a respirator.