For those with urgent/necessary reasons to travel, what has been your experience in getting the
results of your PCR test within 3 days or 72 hours of departure ?

Have the clinics or labs that produce the results consistantly met the deadline in order for you to
travel ? and if so which are the best PCR test clinics to goto and conversely which are the worst
for failing to meet the deadline & best to avoid, including those that are appointment only, where
you have to book days in advance to get the PCR test.

Of course we've all seen adverts on the TV & the web of this or that PCR test clinic that promises rapid
results, to enable you to meet the 3 days or 72 hours to travel before departure - maybe the result
is so rapid it's simply a matter of waiting an hour or two at the clinic but there must be those clinics
who have let you down because they lack the staff or means to analyse the PCR test, haven't met
your expectations or even worst slap on extra charges to get a rapid result & any necessary
PCR result certificate you need to show you've tested negative before travelling.

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Surely the time has come for Boris to 'circle the wagons' for a bit of herd immunity ?

I have this worry too... but need it even faster than 72 hours to departure as I need to drive between U.K. and Switzerland..... no idea how that’s gonna work hope things are easier by mid-April.

I get a PCR Nasal Swab pretty much weekly due to travel for work...

So far, the fastest has been ETH (under 12 hours or so - went at 8:30am and have it in the afternoon).

That said, I've used a few around Zurich, depending on where I was at the time - none has taken more than 30 hours or so to get the email back to me.

The biggest worry I have is getting a false positive test... but I hear this is pretty rare.

I had a PCR test done back in November.

I phoned them at about 14:00 and was given an appointment to be tested at 16:00 on the same day. I arrived maybe two minutes early and there were two other people waiting outside (respecting the mandatory distance of course, plus a bit more just to be extra safe). We were called up by name and I think I was was called first, more or less precisely at the stroke of 16:00.

I first came to a desk where I had to show my ID, my health insurance card, and provide an email address and phone number and answer maybe one or two box-ticking questions. I think that was about it. Then the lady directed me to another area where another lady was waiting and I had to sit down while she pushed the long swab thing into my nostril. In contrast to what others have said it went quickly and wasn't at all painful. I was outside again by 16:05.

The test result was emailed to me by 10:00 the next morning.

I've had 2 tests, both at my usual surgery (Apodoc in Züriwest) end of Dec and early Jan. I got both results within 24 hours, both by email and SMS, in English and with my passport number on for travel.

Both times I had to pay there and then, I was told because it was for travel, and not because I had symptoms, it wasn't covered by my health insurance (cost was 180.00 each)

The fast test takes 20 minutes, but that will only tell you you're positive. At least then you'll know that whatever you were planning is off.

We've always had results within 24 hours. In fact that's what we're told to expect. (BL).

Have been tested twice, both times results by SMS within 6 hrs

I will get one in France on Saturday, been told it's free & results same day or within 24 hours.

My boys were tested by Unilabs in Breganzona before leaving for South Africa in December. Both negative and results back in 12 hours.

They returned 3 weeks ago and went into isolation for 10 days. 5 days into the quarantine the government offered them a free C-19 test which they took next day again with Unilabs with the result also in 12 hours by SMS.. Both -thankfully - negative, but they still had to complete the quarantine.

I took a PCR test last week in Zurich. They said they would message me the results within 24-48 hours, but I got them later the same day (9 hours later at 10pm).

Wasn't it decided last week that it would be possible to shorten the quarantine to 7 days with a negative test?

Perhaps, but that would not have helped LP's boys if they have already been back 3 weeks.

We went to a doctor's office listed on the Bern cantonal website that showed it would do more than 2-3 tests per day. We're out in the sticks so most surgeries do not do many tests. Anyway, they sent it to a lab and our results were back in about 26 hours, IIRC.

Same situation as LP describes upon our return. Quarantine, mandatory fast test, but still had to finish the quarantine even though negative. Would have been nice to be done after 7 days.

Edit - Someone recently posted about the Zurich airport and said it was a bit of a disorganized mess. They didn't get a text, couldn't get anyone on the phone, etc. and had to physically return to the airport to get results.

We were tested in Labor Rothen (in Basel) at 18:30 and had the results at 9:20 the next day. What was apparent from that was you could very very easily make your own certificate. Fraudsters are even selling fake tests online. They weren't even asking for payment or ID. Anyone could go in, give any name and address and receive a pdf to an email address for free. When we travelled last year we were told the test needed to be stamped and we got that done but we saw most other people without a stamped form.

BBC News Covid-19, criminals selling fake test certificates online says Europol

I went to the testcenter in Kasernenareal in December for a PCR to travel, they said 24-48h and I received the certificate exactly 24h later.

UK side testing isnt as fast - took almost 48 hours for me to get my Boots UK result making the 72 hour window for its use almost laughable when you have only 24 hours to actually make use of it.

This place for a price guarantees same day result before midnight or the day after more cheaply:

https://www.assuredscreening.com/pet...BoCJUEQAvD_BwE

Yes I did wonder how it worked out in other countries, particularly in those countries going through
lockdowns or other restrictions, that affects the turn around time of these tests - where of course
the traveller faces a PCR test not only from the country they are travelling from but also another
PCR test from the country they are returning from, back to their host country.

We secured appointments at the Baar/Zug hospital testing clinic at 8.40 on Sunday morning. The staff all stressed that that results would return no sooner than 24-48 hours, but then went on to add that it may be more time depending on the workload of the testing lab, or maybe less.

We received emailed results that same Sunday afternoon at 1600. Fabulous!

We were told that 3 collections of the test samples are made from that testing centre everyday, and they're processed in another city (which they didn't want to name) within Switzerland...

To be honest, I'm not surprised about this development. With these rip-off prices they charge for PCR-tests in Switzerland (compared to other countries where you get it for one fifth of this price, or e.g. in Germany where you get the test results in about 10 different languages with all the necessary data for travelling for about 60 EUR) I can understand if people start looking for other solutions!

The link posted was a British news article and nothing directly to do with Switzerland. Even with "fair" pricing people might want to avoid the fee and/or guarantee a negative result.