Traveling During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic can be scary. Can and should you travel?

The current pandemic has turned the world on its head. COVID-19 hit the travel industry particularly hard. Before I start, this post isn’t going to tell you that everything is good to go and everyone should be out traveling. Neither will I take the opposite position that no one should be traveling during this time. This is a difficult topic that varies based on how you are traveling and the precautions that you will take. I outline my thought process below. This should help highlight some of the things you should think through when evaluating travel in the current pandemic.

Common COVID Travel Concerns

It is important to address some common concerns around traveling in the pandemic. It is also equally important to establish some research from which to explore this question further. This section addresses how travel has spread the virus around the world, but also how that shouldn’t shut the book on travel.

Early International Travel was Spreader of the Virus

According to several studies, including a recent study from the University of Aberdeen, International Traveling was a primary spreader of the COVID-19 pandemic. With that in mind would seem difficult to recommend international travel to anyone while the pandemic is ongoing. However, these issues are not always simplistic, so it is important to dig deeper into the details from this study.

This study was based on data between the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and June 8, 2020. This was the first COVID-19 spike that occurred in many countries. The study also references a World Health Organization (WHO) published in 2007 titled “Rapid Operations to Contain the Initial Emergence of Pandemic Influenza.” The study and the WHO publication both give guidance that “travel restrictions are beneficial if implemented rapidly”. They go on to advise that restrictions are not recommended once there is significant spread. We are undoubtedly in the period of significant spread throughout much of the world (especially the United States). This means that blanket prohibitions on travel are not an effective prevention measure and are not a valid reason to cease travel altogether.

Not All Countries Should Open to Travel

One exception to blanket prohibitions not working is for countries that do not have significant spread ongoing like New Zealand. From a pure health disease prevention standpoint, travel restrictions make sense for these countries. I will not make an argument for or against these restrictions for a country like New Zealand. That discussion takes us well beyond the scope of this post. We must research many areas (economic impact, citizen wellbeing, vaccination access, testing infrastructure, etc…) before forming an opinion. Also at the end of the day, if the residents of countries like New Zealand prefer to have restrictions in place, I have no place telling them that they shouldn’t.

More Targeted Travel Testing

The above research showed that blanket restrictions are not helpful if originating and returning to a country with significant spread. A conclusion one may draw from this is that unconstrained travel is the answer. I would answer that is the wrong conclusion from a virus containment perspective. There are more targeted approaches that provide protection while allowing for travel to return to those willing and able to engage in it. The testing required for entry to the United States at this time is an example of this.

All air passengers coming to the United States, including U.S. citizens, are required to have a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before they board a flight to the United States

United States of America: Centers for Disease Control

There can still be valid political debate over the time frame for getting a test (24, 48, or 72 hours), the need for tests on one or both sides of transit, and what types of tests to allow. However, I believe personal responsibility and accountability must be first and foremost what everyone takes into consideration. With personal responsibility in mind, the answers to those questions will be answered based on your own situation. Your plans upon return from travel must be representative of the fact that you traveled.

Know Your Risk

With some of the research about the travel-related virus spread under our belts, there are two primary viewpoints you must consider when determining if you should travel during a pandemic:

• your own personal risk
• your risk to others.

Let’s first look to understand the impact to yourself.

Personal Risk

To consider traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should understand the risks to yourself. If you have a medical condition that puts you at a higher than acceptable risk, you should reconsider travel. This recommendation isn’t unique to travel. If you are at a higher risk, you should be taking caution in your home country as well. Eating at restaurants indoors and being around crowds are risk factors anywhere (not just during travel). However, travel by its nature puts you around some crowds. If you can’t accept that slightly elevated risk to yourself or would not feel comfortable traveling, then stay home until conditions improve.

If you aren’t at a higher risk due to underlying medical conditions and think you would be willing to accept the risks to yourself, look at the topics below. Everyone should think through a trip with the following topics in mind to make sure that it is appropriate.

Flights

The risk of infection on a plane is very low. All airlines require masking. Airplanes utilize sufficient methods to filter and replace air keeping transmission low. This does not mean that transmission can’t occur, as a study for a flight from Tel Aviv, Israel to Frankfurt, Germany in March 2020 found. The risk of getting COVID on a plane was estimated at between 1 in 4,300 and 1 in 7,700 (or 0.0232% – 0.0130%). The difference in rates depends on if you have people seated next to you or if you have an open row.

Airports

Airports represent a more likely transmission location than the actual airplane. Airplane passengers are able to spread out and continue to use your mask in an airport; however, buildings don’t have the same airflow and filtration systems that airplanes have. The risk here is similar to going to an indoor restaurant to eat at home or working in an office building near coworkers. If you are comfortable with either of those situations, this will not represent any higher level of risk.

Travel Destination

How the destination is being affected by the pandemic should be considered. Your planned activities are also a major factor to think about. First, look up the destination’s COVID impact on websites like the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker and the CDC Travel Center. Confirm that the case numbers are not too significant. If you were to come down with the virus, would that location be able to provide the medical care required? You should consider that being away from your home will likely make medical treatment more difficult. The popular saying “hope for the best, but plan for the worst” is good advice when traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Second, make sure that you will be able to engage in the activities drawing you to the destination. For example, if you are going to Paris you will want to make sure that cultural destinations and sights like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Louvre are not closed. Going somewhere where the sights are closed during the pandemic will not be the best use of your resources. Save your money to use towards this trip after the world has recovered.

COVID Plan in Place

The final part of understanding your risk is knowing what you would do if you were to get COVID in another location. If you are traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic, you should have acceptable answers to the following questions:

• Does your medical insurance provide coverage for treatments if you need it in your vacation location?
• If you obtain COVID while at your destination, will you be OK remaining there for 14+ days?
• What are the work and financial impacts of possible quarantine?
• What do the quarantine procedures look like at that destination?

Limit Your Risk to Others

After you have made sure you are willing to accept the risks yourself, you must be conscious of how your travel could increase the risks to others. If we choose to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, we must consider our interconnections with others. They should be allowed to make the same risk judgments that you were able to make. Limiting the risk to others includes:

Share Travel Information

Let those you will come in contact with know that you have traveled recently. Letting all have that information allows them to make the same risk decisions that you made. Without this information, they are making risk calculations without knowing the total possible impact.

Observe Testing/Quarantine Rules

It is also proper to observe any rules that you quarantine or be tested upon return from travel. These requirements are established so that others can make risk decisions about going to work, grocery shopping, church, and many other everyday activities. Similar to sharing travel information, obeying the testing and quarantine rules means others can make informed choices. Again, this is a common courtesy that we should be willing to extend to those we interact with to protect them. If you decide to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, you must agree to these rules.

In line with the current CDC recommendations, it is advisable that you get a COVID test upon return from travel. Given that most travel provides a higher risk of getting the virus than normal day-to-day life this seems appropriate. A strict quarantine for 10 days is also acceptable as an alternative to testing.

Observe Restrictions at the Travel Destination

In addition to observing your local rules upon return, also be willing to observe the COVID rules and requests in place at your destination. All travelers voluntarily chose to travel and that includes accepting the rules of travel. Many travelers will expect that risk mitigations and rules to be followed at the destination. They will take these rules into consideration when determining if they are accepting of the travel risk. If you have a disagreement with the regulations in place at one destination, find another destination. Don’t make someone regret traveling because you choose not to follow rules you accepted by traveling.

Safe Travel Can Be Accomplished

As you can see, safe traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic can be accomplished. What I didn’t say is that it is safe for everyone, safe in every destination, or comes without limitations. We must all first and foremost be considerate of others. However, as stated above I think we can do this while trying to restore a large part of our world and economy that has been shut down.

Please let me know your thoughts on the above. Are there any considerations that were not covered but are important to this topic?