How do you travel safely during a pandemic?
First, I would like to thank you for reading my first blog post. It was my intention to start this blog about 6 months ago, but, you know, life.
If you are anything like me, you have dearly missed traveling. It is crazy to think we have been in this pandemic for a year now. I cannot remember the last time in my life I went months without getting on a plane, but I went about 10 months between flights in 2020. I opted to go to San Diego for my first flight.
The Basics
Yes, the CDC recommends not traveling if you do not have to, but I think we can continue to travel if we do it safely. I understand travel is a privilege and not a necessity. I have taken four flights in the last four months, and I’d like to share with you my tips for traveling safely. Please remember it is your job to keep yourself safe, and not the job of anyone else.The Basics
The most basic thing you can do to stay safe is masking. The new administration has implemented the requirement of a negative COVID test prior to entering the United States from any international destination. Having a negative COVID test does not mean someone is COVID-free. It only means they do not have the COVID virus present in their upper respiratory system. It is possible for a person to be infected with COVID and only have the virus in their lower respiratory system. This means all those people with their masks below their noses can potentially still spread COVID with a negative test. Therefore, it remains important to mask properly. Masks have been proven to work when people are in confined spaces and unable to physically distance.
Image from: https://news.sanfordhealth.org/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/need-face-masks/
The next basic is proper hand hygiene. Being a healthcare worker, it is ingrained in my head how to properly wash my hands. We have auditors at work to ensure proper hand hygiene. Most people touch their face more than 20 times each hour. If your hands have virus present, and you touch your face, then it gives the virus a short route into your mucus membranes. Hand hygiene is one of the best habits you can get into to keep yourself safe all the time.
Please comment below and tell everyone how you stay safe when traveling. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blog for the latest blog posts!