How’s the travel going, folks? Until 2019 – 2 visits a year to India, a couple more domestic vacations, not to include the weekend getaways. Now? Now, I feel like a plane grounded due to a technical fault!! Luckily enough, earlier in the year, when it seemed like this nightmare was ending – my dad was able to fly to the US from Mumbai. The timing was perfect – within 2 weeks of his arrival, the now-dreaded Delta variant spread like wildfire – leading once again to lockdowns and flight cancellations! We didn’t feel the impact as much here in the US – all of us, including my dad and Manasi were able to get vaccinated pretty quickly, and we all settled down into our routines, with barely a thought to the still rampant Corona – until last week…

Baba was scheduled to fly back on Saturday, 28th August. Usual Air India flight, departing from O’Hare at noon. Although he was fully vaccinated (both shots) – it was still required for him to show a negative RT-PCR test before boarding the flight. Test had to be taken within 72 hours of departure time. This led to an interesting search about the different types of Covid testing and the accuracy of the tests. The most commonly offered test is the Rapid test – this is the one available at the big testing centers like the Peoria Civic Center. The PCR test is more complicated and involves DNA testing. The RT-PCR actually tests for RNA – the ‘RT’ stands for ‘Reverse Transcription’ and not ‘Real Time’ as I previously thought! Anyway, the level of molecular biology needed to understand all this is way over my head!!

Luckily, the CVS around the corner is a collection site for the RT-PCR test – so after careful calculation, counting back 72 hours, with a little buffer – we took an appointment for Wednesday, 2pm. Testing here is a little different than it is in India – for one thing, no one comes home to take the sample!! Following the instructions, we got in line at the CVS drive-through – and after confirming name and birth-date, we were given a sample collection kit. Like the vaccine, testing is free for those without insurance – which I think is really awesome!! Swab taken, sealed in the bio-hazard bag provided, deposited in the collection box – and we were done!! Got an email immediately from CVS to set up a portal for Baba to check the results – really impressed with the process so far! Now comes the waiting – results typically arrive in 1-2 days, so we should have the report by Friday – in good time to upload to the ‘Air Suvidha’ website.

Now begins the waiting! Mind you, we were not worried about the result itself – there was little or even no chance at all that Baba would test positive (if he did, that would be a whole different can of worms!) – all we needed was the report. Thursday passed with no news – and by Friday morning, we were all getting a little on edge. To add to the anxiety, the portal with its now annoying message of ‘Your test results are not yet ready’ – now had a message saying that although results typically took a day or two, due to high volume of tests, there could be delays. Ok, definitely panic-city now. I drove over to the CVS to see if I could get any more information regarding the status – all I got from them was a 800 number that I could text for the results – same message as the portal!! By Friday afternoon, we were all looking for a Plan B – what happens if the results don’t come in on time?

Simply put – there really is no Plan B. No report, no flight. As my Baba had no real pressing need to fly on that very day, we thought we could maybe reschedule the flight. Or maybe Air India could offer a solution? If the requirement is to take the test within 72 hours of departure, but the lab was not able to provide the result in the required window – what were passengers supposed to do? So we decided to call Air India – big mistake! After being on hold for 2 hours, I was talking to an agent, who very helpfully said – “If you don’t have the results in time, you have 2 options. Cancel the flight, or reschedule.” Well, duh! I then asked him to check next available flight, but in order for me to know if there was a cost involved – I had to be transferred to someone else. You see where this is going? After getting transferred, and being on hold for another 2 hours, the line was abruptly cut. After several more frustrating tries, another helpful agent told us that since we were within the 24 hour window of departure, any reschedule request would be considered as a no-show – so we would have to pay the no-show penalty, rescheduling charges and fare difference – approximately Rs. 25,000, or $350!! Not their problem, apparently, if their passengers were not able to get test results on time!!

By this time, Ajey had somehow managed to trace a phone number for the lab – and we were talking to an actual real person!! Of course, the lady would only talk to the person who had been tested – so there was a 5 minute window of hilarity in this stress filled afternoon – as my dad attempted to spell out his name for the customer service rep. Anyway, the long and short of it was that she didn’t really have any more information – she said she would put a red-flag on our test, to possibly expedite it – but no guarantees. She didn’t know if the lab worked through the night, or where the sample had actually been sent. Wait for the portal to be updated, that was the best she could do for us. At this point, we had given up hope of the report coming through. Back to Mr. Google – new discovery, there were labs in Chicago that had ‘urgent RT-PCR’ services available with a turn-around time of an hour – for the princely sum of $400. So there you have it. Rock – pay $350 for the airline reschedule, and possibly go through the same uncertainty all over again. Hard place – pay $400 for the expedited test, and hope that the result arrives in time to get the flight. Choices, choices!!

Finally made the call to make a reservation at the Chicago place for 7am. Hopefully, that gave us enough of a margin to get to the airport with the report. To reach Michigan Ave by 7am, we would have to leave Peoria by 4am. So after hastily wrapping up Baba’s packing, and a quick dinner – we headed to bed. When the alarm went off 3:15am, I blearily reached for my phone, and before I woke Baba, sent the 26th text to the portal to check for the report. And like a jolt of adrenaline, the magic words “Your test results are ready”!!! After a day of sheer madness, at 3am in the morning – finally!!! Downloaded, printed the report (oh, checked that it said Negative!!) – then filled out the self-declaration form on Air Suvidha, printed that out – and then went back to bed and slept like a baby for 2 more hours!! Once the report came in, everything else was smooth sailing! As a final bonus, we even made it to O’Hare in record time – 2 hours, 45 minutes – no traffic holdups at all!! At the checkout counter, they did check both the test report and the self-declaration form – and they checked that the test had been performed within the 72 hour window – so clearly, there is no wiggle room there!

Clearly, this way of travel is here to stay. I have no problem with passengers required to take a test before they board – anything that makes safer travel possible must be done. But this whole 72 hour window seems so arbitrary. The negative report we provided – all it means that at on a particular day, at a particular time, this individual probably did not have Covid. What if the said person had a huge farewell party the day after the test? Or went on a last minute shopping spree hitting all the stores in town, without a mask? Still, I understand they have to draw a line in the sand – and someone thought 72 hours was reasonable. Having made the rule, should the authorities not make it feasible? Have the expedited test available at the airport – ask passengers to come to the airport 4 hours earlier instead of 3, heck, include the cost of the test in the ticket price?!! We are now inured to taking off shoes, jackets and belts, the X-ray scans, the random checks – why not add a nasal swab to the process? Creating a rule, and not providing the means to follow it – that only leads to price-gouging like the $400 charge for a test that is normally offered free.

What could we have done differently? Instead of relying on just 1 test, Baba could have taken the test at multiple locations – not ideal, extra burdening of an already overloaded system. But at least one report would have come through in time.The Chicago place – the Loop clinic, also offered results in 8 hours or 24 hours, at reduced rates. So maybe go to Chicago a day earlier, take the test there. Don’t fly Air India – I’m being facetious here, of course – but seriously their customer service is the worst!!! Maybe if we had showed up at the airport with proof that we took the test in time, but report didn’t come in, they would have been helpful – but I’m glad it didn’t come to that!! Don’t fly at all – probably the easiest and safest in current conditions!

Anyway, all’s well that ends well – Baba had a comfortable flight back to Mumbai – at the airport he had to fill out yet another Covid declaration, this time for the BMCC. International travel inherently is so stressful – and it is yet another facet of our life that has been complicated by Covid. So stay safe, wear a mask, and if you do have to travel, stay calm and believe in the process!!

P.S. – Here’s the Air Suvidha link to upload the test results – https://www.newdelhiairport.in/airsuvidha/apho-registration