How to Travel Safely During the COVID-19 Outbreak?


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2020 has given us some of the major shocks, but nothing else seems more dangerous when it comes to a deadly Pandemic.

Covid-19 or better known as Coronavirus has caused much havoc in our lives than we have seen in years from any other disease. It took a lot of lives and forced the world to shut down completely. Now that slowly and gradually, everything is getting back to normal, it is high time to take serious safety steps to save ourselves from this outbreak.

In the past few months, we all tried to stay indoors, ignoring human contact as much as possible to keep our families safe from this deadly disease. Companies offered work from home, students studied through online classes, and every other possible step was taken by us to minimize the spread of this pandemic. The good news is that the Covid-19 Vaccine is on its way, and we are all hoping that it would be available in the market in a few months.

COVID-19 and World
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If you are reading this, you must be struck in a situation where you need to travel. Facing some family emergency or work calls, traveling through any means during this pandemic is dangerous, and it is highly necessary to take a few safety measures to keep yourself safe. We’ve gathered all the necessary information and listed a few points that you should consider while traveling or staying outside your house during the Covid-19 outbreak.

How does Covid-19 spread?

According to WHO, Covid-19 can spread between people through direct and even indirect contact. If you’re in close contact (within 1 M) with an infected person, there are high chances that you’ll also get infected. In many cases, Covid-19 is transmitted just by touching a surface where the droplets of the virus are present.

These droplets are released in the form of secretions from the nose or mouth of the infected person while they cough, sneeze, or simply speak and uses the same path to get inside your body. Infected people may also leave these droplets on things and surfaces they touch unknowingly; this infects other people who get in contact with the contaminated surface and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth.

With recent researches, it was also found that this virus can live in the air for up to 3 hours, making it a dangerous airborne disease. Few studies also suggest that Covid-19 Virus particles can be found in infected people’s stool, but there is no proven theory for this.

5-Step Safety Plan

No matter where you are heading, it is essential to follow these five steps to protect yourself and your family from getting exposed to the Covid-19 virus.

1. Cover Your Face

Face Mask
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First and foremost, you should always cover your face nicely. There are multiple ways a person can get infected, but the only possible entrances for that is our mouth or nose. You can use a clean cotton cloth or a face mask to cover your nose and mouth whenever you go out. You can’t be very sure about yourself also, so it is always crucial to cover your mouth while coughing and sneezing, not to accidentally infect some other person with the virus.

2. Sanitize

Sanitization
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Wash your hands often with soap and water at least for 20 seconds. When you’re outside, make sure you keep a bottle of sanitizer handy, which should be at least 60% alcohol and use it multiple times. Do not touch your eyes, mouth, or nose without cleaning your hands in any case. Even when you’re inside or returning to your home, make sure to disinfect everything that could act as a source of the virus.

3. Maintain Public Distance

COVID-19 Social Distancing
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One thing we all have learned from Covid-19 is how to keep our nose to ourselves. It is critical to maintain social distance and stay at least a meter away from all the people as we never know who can be carrying this deadly virus.

4. Avoid Contact with any Surface

As we have read and heard a lot, any surface or object can be infected with this microscopic virus, so it is better to keep our hands to ourselves and avoid touching anything at all when we’re outside. If it is quite necessary, you can wear medical gloves and then wash your hands and sanitize them thoroughly.

5. Safe Disposal

Safe disposal of the masks, gloves, or any other item that can be a source of the virus is critical. The last thing we want is our garbage becoming a virus-infested site. Make sure you follow all the safety norms laid down by WHO to safely dispose of your masks, gloves, or PPE Kits.

Traveling through Airplane

With the situation at hand, all airports have started taken severe measures to make sure that the Covid-19 spread is contained. Before booking a flight, make sure you read the airlines’ policies and norms for COVID-19 safety. We will suggest booking the window seat if possible, as having a wall on one side will cut the probability of getting infected into 50%.

For the other 50%, you’ve to follow strict rules for yourself. Do not remove your mask at all. Sanitize your hands as often you can. Although the plane is immaculate and disinfected for the ride, it is better to be double sure, and you can use hand to clean your seat belts, seat, or any other surface.

Carry your belongings in plastic zip-lock packs such as your passport, phone, IDs that are needed at a lot of places while traveling.

Traveling through Private Vehicle

If you’re considering that you’ll drive by yourself, it is a better option but still not the safest. Before you prepare yourself for the journey, prepare your car. Do not leave any surface uncleaned, especially when you’re sharing the car with someone.

Make sure you pack a small bag with extra masks, gloves, disinfectant, sanitizer, and hand wipes to be handy when needed. Pack your supply of food and water and consider nonperishable items as the ride can be long and fresh food will be a problem.

If you’re making a stop somewhere such as gas station, make sure you wear gloves before touching anything and wash your hands afterward or use sanitizer. Use digital transaction options to avoid direct contact with any person.

Other means of travel

The same rules apply for any other means of transport such as trains, buses, or a taxi. Maintaining social distance in Trains or buses is a little tricky, so it is better to wear your mask all the time and sanitize or wash your hands the second you get down from the vehicle. Try to grab the window seat as good ventilation can also help you stay away from infection.

If you’ve hired a Taxi for your journey, avoid sitting in the front seat. Make sure that the driver is wearing a face mask and gloves. Avoid traveling with other people as it can increase your chances of getting infected with Covid-19.

How to make sure you are Safe at a Hotel

Before selecting a hotel, research the hotel’s plan to safeguard from Covid-19 infection. Ask them about their arrangements if someone fells ill during the stay. It is your right to inquire about their medical facilities and social distancing norms, followed by them.

Try to book a room that is not being used for a few days and get it sanitized upon your arrival in front of your eyes just to be 100% sure. Keep your windows open all the time, better the ventilation, lesser chances of COVID-19 staying in the air.

Avoid housekeeping services or other shared hotel facilities such as spa, gym, or swimming pool to avoid human contact as much as possible. It’ll not hurt to dodge dine out for a while, try to order room service as much as you can.

Other than all this, make sure you follow the Five-Step Safety Plan to keep yourself and people around you safe from Covid-19.

Bottom Line

As much as we wish to suggest that staying inside your house is the best available option, we also understand that it can’t be that way forever. Our lives must move on, and we all have different responsibilities. It is highly advised to use all the above-listed measures whenever and wherever you are traveling. We don’t know when this pandemic is going to end, but what we do know is we have to fight and survive this.

If you’ve any other queries or suggestions, do let us know in our comment section below.

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