Is this year’s vacation trip safe?

The end of the year is creeping up and people are weighing Travel Against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic, I plan to spend my holidays with friends and family.

Probably the most universal holiday tradition, gatherings with others didn’t have to be so meticulous.

Should you travel for the 2020 vacation? What are the precautions to make it safer? Who is there and how much attention do you have?

CNN I talked to a healthcare professional about how to reduce the risk of vacation trips and if you really need to skip it altogether.

Should you travel for this year’s vacation?

Dr. Richard Dawood, Travel Medicine Specialist and Director of Fleet Street Clinic in London, said:

But if you act carefully, follow the rules, and easily adapt to changes in your plans, travel is fine.

“I think the travel threshold at this point should still be higher than it was before the pandemic,” said Dr. Henry Wu, director of the Emory Travelwell Center and associate professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Says.

“If you choose to travel, be sure to keep your meetings small, wear masks, and take precautions such as practicing social distance and hand hygiene,” Wu said.

Who needs to skip it?

someone Especially vulnerable to serious Covid-19 disease It’s safest to stay at home.

“Are you old, frail, or have a chronic underlying illness?” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, asks a question. Say that.

Wu said that those who are thinking of meeting vulnerable relatives and friends should really weigh the implications of introducing the disease to them.

“There are well-documented Covid-19 clusters associated with family gatherings, including those that have died,” he said.

Are some places safer than others?

Standard precautions still apply, but collections are probably safer in regions of the world where infection remains low.

For example, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, it may be possible to hold “relatively normal” Thanksgiving rallies in parts of the United States where infections are very low.

“But in other parts of the country … you should refrain, and you probably just have a family soon,” Forch told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. As always, wear a mask and keep the gatherings small to reduce the risk of infection.

“I want to say that Thanksgiving makes everything great, but to be honest … I don’t know if that’s right,” he said.

The· Centers for Disease Control and Prevention It reminds people that the risk of infection increases when they travel from or to communities with high numbers and rates of illness.

Does the test provide protection?

Wu said the test could help detect coronavirus infections before traveling. “But the inspection is not absolutely certain.”

“It’s a false negative, or you can miss the infection you’re still culturing,” he said. “It can be transmitted while traveling and then to others.”

According to Schaffner, the test “can give some relief if the participants are negative at the time of the test.” “You still have to be careful.”

What is the safest way to get there?

According to experts, driving in general gives travelers greater control over their interactions with others than by plane or other forms of co-transportation.

“Your own car, or a private jet!” Is the safest way to get around, says Dawood.

Schaffner says it’s important to minimize contact when getting out of the car. When you’re out of the car, wear a mask, make a short stop, and choose drive-through food rather than going inside a restaurant.

On air travel, “you are more at the mercy of what’s happening around you,” Schaffner said. Nevertheless, it is important to wear a mask, good hand hygiene, and maintain social distance as much as possible.

Should you be with your family?

Schaffner says hotels have more control over the environment than staying at relatives’ homes when avoiding close encounters in elevators and other public areas and skipping meals in restaurants prioritizing takeaway and room service. thinking about.

Whether you choose to stay in someone’s house “has a lot to do with who your relatives are and how careful they are,” Schaffner said.

Whenever you are in close contact with friends and relatives, it is important to discuss these things in detail in advance. Is there anyone at high risk of serious illness? What precautions and risks do guests and hosts take on a daily basis?

Schaffner knows people who stayed at friends and relatives’ homes after being carefully quarantined for weeks before visiting or accepting guests. This is a type of safety measure that is suitable for prior consideration and agreement.

Wu does not have a strict answer as to whether it is safe to stay with friends and family or to stay in a hotel. He says many factors are involved, including the ability to keep distance safely. If you’re staying in the same house as someone else, “consider whether the visiting family was able to take precautions in isolation,” he says.

Is it safe to get together with people outside the house?

Even if you stay at a hotel, it’s quite possible that you’ll want to get together with other households to celebrate the holiday season.

Schaffner had been to a relative’s house during a pandemic and they had been to his house, but they wore masks far away and were only together for a few hours, he said. say.

Food is served, but they sit on the edge of the dining room table and remove their masks just to eat and drink.

“It’s wise to keep the mask on during family gatherings, especially if you (or others) have risk factors for serious illness indoors,” Wu said. It was.

In the UK, many regions have officially limited the size of their meetings to control the spread of the virus.

“The’Rule of 6’does not show any sign of giving up limiting the rally to a group of 6 people, but people respect the rules, including’drive-by’weddings, and set the rotors for the event. While finding an innovative way to meet. Day, “says Dawood.

Small, outdoor, socially distant gatherings The safest.

“Large groups can increase the risk of infection, especially if they come from different households or geographic locations,” Wu said.

What is the safest option? “Get a little turkey and stay home,” says Schaffner.