With the novel coronavirus spreading around the globe, travel has been severely restricted or entirely prohibited in many countries. For those that do need to travel, however, it is important to take extra precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus.
One of the main challenges of COVID-19 reportedly is that individuals may be most contagious when they are least symptomatic. This means you could potentially be infected and carry the coronavirus to an area that is currently virus-free, or pick it up wherever you travel and bring it back to your family, friends, or loved ones without ever even knowing. Therefore, while traveling, it is very important to not only protect yourself, but those around you. Here are three tips for traveling amidst the outbreak.
- Monitor your temperature several days prior to departure and while traveling
A fever is the most common symptom of COVID-19. Normal adult body temperatures can actually range anywhere from 97 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit and can even fluctuate during the course of a day. This is why it is important to monitor your temperature for several days before you travel and while you are traveling. Monitoring it ahead of time will give you some idea of what is normal for you, which will help you detect any significant increase indicating a fever.
- Wash your hands and use hand sanitizer frequently
Almost every surface you touch in an airport or on a plane will have live germs and bacteria sitting on it. Wearing gloves doesn’t do much as these germs then transport to the gloves, risking ingestion or inhalation any time you touch your face. Currently, TSA is allowing passengers to carry up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer. It is highly recommended that you use it whenever possible.
- Consider wearing a mask or covering your face only if you are infected
While wearing a mask to protect your face might not protect you from getting the virus itself, it can help significantly curtail the spread of the virus. If you are infected, coronavirus will be present in small droplets of saliva and sputum that are spread any time you cough or sneeze. Wearing a mask or covering your face helps keep you from spreading the virus to others if you are infected.