December 16, 2020 – With U.S. regulators close to approving a second coronavirus vaccine, there is renewed hope that COVID-19 will eventually be eradicated. However, medical experts warn that optimism could lead to negligent behavior in the coming weeks and advise people to approach vacation travel with extreme caution.
Doctors recommend holding virtual meetings instead of intimate gatherings and only traveling when there is an urgent need. When travel is imperative, having wipes, hand sanitizer, and masks – and keeping your watch – is essential.
“Unfortunately, the vaccines won’t eliminate the need to take precautionary measures during the vacation,” says Dr. Henry Wu, Director of the Emory TravelWell Center and Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine. “This includes masking, distancing and hand hygiene.”
He adds, “The vaccines are extremely promising and could make a difference. But we’ll talk about a few months before we see a rollout. “
Wu hosted a virtual briefing on Wednesday to provide safety tips if you are traveling by plane or car on vacation. He noticed the exploding COVID-19 cases that arose from Thanksgiving and warned that the same could happen after Christmas.
Leading U.S. infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci, MD, said he had the same concerns about Christmas as he had about Thanksgiving – except that Christmas could prove more harmful because it’s a longer holiday.
Since the vaccines are unlikely to be released to the general public until spring or later, they won’t relax any restrictions this vacation, Wu says.
Wu’s safety recommendations for vacation travel include:
- Avoid travel unless it is urgent.
- When you’re out and about, keep the gatherings small.
- Always wear a mask.
- Wear hand sanitizer.
- Keep your distance from other travelers.
If the precautions “are a headache and spoil the spirit of the holiday, consider postponing,” Wu says.
He adds that traveling by car might be the safest because it gives you control over your surroundings. While ventilation on aircraft makes them one of the safest environments in terms of COVID-19 risk, there are other issues to worry about, such as crowds and surfaces.
The good news, he says, is that hotels and Airbnbs have put in place various hygiene measures, although he recommends wiping the surfaces in the room just in case. The dangers of hotels, however, do not lie in individual rooms, but in the reception, in the lobby and in elevators.
“The more you can avoid these spaces, the better,” he says.
Wu pointed to a massive coronavirus outbreak in an Austrian ski resort that infected thousands of people and worsened the spread of COVID-19 across Europe.
Once the COVID-19 vaccines are widespread, vaccination mandates could be created by airlines, according to Wu. Until then, however, he recommends avoiding any travel – and if you have to, get tested before going anywhere and self-isolate after your trip to avoid spreading the virus.
He also suggests following CDC guidelines for vacation travel, including:
Excessive vacation travel could lead to an even more overwhelmed health system, Wu says.
“There will come a point where our hospitals, intensive care units and clinics will be overwhelmed and just have to turn people away,” he says. “Therefore everyone should do their part to take their precautionary measures.”
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Henry Wu, MD, Director of the Emory TravelWell Center and Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine.
CDC.gov: “Winter Holidays”, “How CDC Gives COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations.”
The Washington Post: “One ski resort spread the coronavirus across Europe. Austria and Switzerland are keen to reopen the slopes anyway. “
BBC.com: “Covid: Fauci warns that Christmas is more of a challenge than Thanksgiving.”
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