If you’re interested in booking a flight out of the busiest airport in the world to get to the beach, one of the things that is no doubt on your mind is your safety.
Many of the nation’s top airlines are starting to book fares close to the levels that they did pre-COVID. But some travelers understandably may be apprehensive.
Is It Safe To Fly Again?
In this article, we’ll show you some of the leading resources on future travel in the pandemic era.
First of all, let’s talk about the most essential equipment you’ll need to pack and wear for you travels: Masks.
Masks
Face masks are mandatory on all planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation in the United States. It doesn’t matter if you’re leaving American or on your way back into the country.
Here’s where you can buy a mask.
What The Science Says
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says if you’re fully vaccinated, you “can resume activities without wearing a mask or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.”
As to when we’ll be able to travel safely again in the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is on record as saying that it all depends on the COVID vaccine.
But the vaccine doesn’t automatically mean that we can return to traveling as normal, according to Fauci.
“Getting vaccinated does not say you have a free pass to travel,” Fauci told Forbes. “Nor does it say you have a free pass to put aside all the public health measures that we talk about all the time.”
“You can get some degree of protection that isn’t durable 10 days to 14 days after the first dose, but you can’t rely on that,” Fauci was quoted as saying. “The maximum immunity begins about 10 days to two weeks and beyond following the second dose. That goes for anyone, regardless of whether you want to travel or not.”
What The Travel Industry Says
The travel industry has implemented several safety measures to ensure that passengers feel safe and protected onboard. Some safety measures include:
- Face Coverings: Assurance that all passengers have a face covering and wear it at the airport and on board.
- Symptoms: Assurance that the passenger is not experiencing a fever, which is essentially a temperature (38C/100.4F or higher), coughing, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, chills, muscle pain and/or sore throat.
- Exposure – Assurance that the passenger has not had close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or had symptoms in the last 14 days.
With health officials overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines, you might be wondering how to go about travel in the next few weeks or months.
What To Do Before You Book A Flight
Here are some steps you can take to protect yourself.
1. Decide On Your Comfort Level
No one can tell you what your comfort level is in this pandemic. It all depends on whatever risks you are willing to take.
Always weigh CDC guidance. Once you decide on an acceptable level of risk to you, then stick to that when choosing when and how to travel.
2. Try To Save Money
There’s absolutely no sense in spending a lot of money on travel if you don’t need to. Try to save money if at all possible.
Some ways you can keep more of your dollars is by checking for fare sales at the major airlines. You can also looks for cheap routes on Google Flights.
3. Make Sure Your Get Vaccinated For Flights
One thing that has been discussed, and supported by many in the airline industry, is a mandatory vaccine.
“Everything will be on the table for discussion,” Fauci has told Forbes, referring to mandatory vaccinations for airline passengers.
If you’re looking for the vaccine near you, here’s how to find it.
Final Thoughts
COVID-19 has upended life as we know for the majority, especially when it comes to travel. You may be wondering what it’s going to take to feel safe traveling by air, car or another means.
The key thing is to do your research before you book.
Also It’s very important that you DO NOT travel if you were exposed to COVID-19, you are sick, or you have tested positive for COVID-19. Learn when it is safe for you to travel. Don’t travel with someone who is sick
