In a huge sigh of relief, I received my PT-PCR test results this morning and they were NEGATIVE! Praise God!

We already live in a complicated world, made worse as a result of the Covid crisis. I realized just this morning that I haven’t been out of the country for two years. And though I really didn’t need to be out of the country for any good reason, the mere fact that it has been so complicated has been irritating to say the least. The good news is that some of the barriers are starting to crack and fall. Regardless, we’re not there yet.

Many countries have been locked down, and because every sovereign nation has their own response to crisis-of-the-day, it makes it tricky to figure out what to do. In point of fact, for me to transit and to arrive in Qatar and in Tanzania, respectively, I need a negative PT-PCR test. These tests aren’t the at-home kits, nor are they even the rapid antigen tests that give results in a matter of minutes or hours. Rather, a physician (or assistant) gathers the data in a controlled environment and the results are securely transmitted to the patient (complying with latest HIPAA regulations). Typically results take 24-48 hours, which can be problematic since countries often have very small windows between the time the test is taken and the time that a passenger presents himself to immigration (and includes travel time). It’s 21 hours of flight and transit for me. So, I have a very small window indeed.

You can see why a negative test is so important in making this trek work. A positive test result would have canceled the whole event. I am required to self-quarantine for a minimum of five (5) days under these conditions. By this time, those who tested negative would have been well on their way to the top.

I still have to get to Tanzania (I leave tomorrow). But for now I can take comfort that I can at least get on the airplane!


1 Comment

Jeff Williams · February 9, 2022 at 3:08 am

May you have the best and safest (and perhaps, most exciting) trip, Father Corwin! I follow your blog with great anticipation and it is well written with excellent photos. – Jeff

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