As more and more Americans choose to get vaccinated to protect against COVID-19, more opportunities open up to resume pre-coronavirus activities, like traveling. While you look forward to traveling, you should still practice safety precautions, even if you’re vaccinated. Here’s what you should keep doing when you travel, even if you’re fully vaccinated:
Guidelines for Traveling if You’re Vaccinated
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that those who are vaccinated still take the proper steps to protect yourself and others while traveling. These steps include:
- Staying at least 6 feet away from others in public places
- Staying home if you are sick
- Washing hands often with soap and water, or using a hand sanitizer that is at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available
- Wearing a mask in public
Safety on Planes, Trains and at Hotels
Even though travel is picking up again, it’s still recommended to delay travel until you are fully vaccinated. If you aren’t vaccinated and need to travel for an emergency, the CDC has this guidance. If you are vaccinated, it’s still important to take extra precautions.
Major airline and train operators have put enhanced cleaning protocols in place for your protection, but when you travel by plane or train, you will be sitting beside other people for some time. That means you still need to take additional precautions to stay safe.
Airlines are requiring guests to wear a face-covering throughout their journey, from the moment they enter the departure airport until leaving the arrival airport. They are also encouraging people to bring drinks and snacks on board.
Amtrak strongly recommends that guests wear face coverings on station platforms and trains. Some communities are also requiring that customers wear masks in waiting rooms.
If you are staying in a hotel or rental property, take the same precautions as you would in other public settings, with frequent hand-washing and surface cleaning.
When you get to your room or rental space, clean and disinfect all frequently touched surfaces, such as bathroom surfaces, doorknobs, countertops and remote controls. There is no current evidence that respiratory infections spread through linen or bedding that is properly changed and laundered, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
International Travel Safety Measures
If you plan to travel internationally, make sure you’ve checked all entry requirements for the country you’re visiting and that you’ll have access to COVID-19 testing prior to your flight back to the United States. All air passengers coming into America, including U.S. citizens and those who have been vaccinated, need to present a negative COVID-10 test result before boarding the flight back to the U.S.
Stay up to date on the risk of disease transmission by checking the CDC’s Travel Recommendations by Country. Also, keep in mind that when you return, it’s recommended to get tested for COVID-19 three to five days after travel, the CDC says.
Keeping Car Trips Safe
If you’re planning a road trip, try to limit the number of stops you make along your route to limit contact with others who may be ill and to prevent spreading germs from you and your family members. Pack hand-washing supplies and cloth face coverings for everyone. You may also want to bring disinfectant wipes to clean frequently touched surfaces in your car.
Also, packing food and water in a cooler means your family can eat when they’re hungry, and it limits the contact you’d have with other people in a restaurant or store. Other options that help you continue physical distancing include ordering food at drive-throughs or using curbside restaurant pickup services instead of dining in, the CDC says.
Here for You With Trusted Care
You’ve done your part to help keep you, your family and your community safe. At AdventHealth, we have put special protection measures in place to keep you and our health care team safe at all our facilities as we get back to providing services as usual. Nothing matters more to us than keeping you safe and healthy. Read more about how we’re keeping you safe at AdventHealth.com.
