Is it safe to travel on holidays in 2020 during epidemics?

Gathering with others – perhaps the most universal holiday tradition – has never required such a subtle forecast.

Do you want to travel for the 2020 holidays? What precautions are safe? Who would be there, and how careful were they?

Do you want to travel for the holidays this year?

Dr. Richard Dawood, a travel pharmacologist and director at the Fleet Street Clinic in London, says, “Maybe not if you are worried or distressed.

But the trip will be better if you are careful, follow the rules and adapt easily to changes in the plan, he said.

Dr. Henry Wu, director of the Emory Travelwell Center at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and associate professor of infectious diseases, said: “I think entry for travel at this time should be higher than before the epidemic.

“If you choose to travel, try to keep the crowds small and take precautionary measures”, such as wearing a mask and adhering to social distance and good hand hygiene.

Who should avoid it?

“Are you old, are you weak, do you have chronic underlying diseases?” These are questions that need to be asked, says Dr. William Schaffner, an epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Those considering considering meeting with vulnerable relatives or friends should really weigh the implications of introducing the disease to them, Wu said.

“There are well-documented Govt-19 clusters associated with family gatherings, among which deaths have occurred,” he said.

Are some places safer than others?

Collections are safe in places where infections are rare around the world, although standard precautions still apply.

For example, Dr. Anthony Fucci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says it is possible to hold a “relatively normal” Thanksgiving meeting in some parts of the United States where infections are rare.

“But in other parts of the country … you could be detained and have an immediate family,” Fassi told CNN’s Chris Cuomo. As always, wear masks and keep meetings small to reduce the risk of infections.

“I just want to say that by saying thank you everything will be better, but honestly … I’m not sure about that,” he said.

Does the test provide security?

The test will help catch corona virus infections before the trip, “but the test is not stupid,” Wu said.

“It can be falsely negative, or you can still miss the incubation infections,” he said. “You can definitely get infected during the trip and then infect others.”

The test “gives the participants a measure of reassurance if they are negative at the time of the test,” Schaffner said. “You have to be more careful.”

What is the safest way to get there?

Driving allows passengers to generally control their interactions with others to a greater extent than flying or other forms of communal transportation, experts say.

“Your own vehicle, or a private jet!” Dawood says this is the safest way to travel.

It’s important to minimize contact when you get out of the car, Schaffner says. Wear a mask when you are out of the vehicle, make very short, very brief stops, and choose a drive-through meal over going into the restaurant.

With air travel, Schaffner said, “You’re more into what’s going on around you.” Still, it is important to wear masks, maintain good hand hygiene and social distance as much as possible.

Do you want to stay with family?

Schaffner sees hotels as giving you more control over your environment than staying at a relative’s house, and you should avoid close encounters with elevators and other public places, and avoid restaurant meals in favor of exit or room service.

Even if you choose to stay in someone’s home, “there’s a lot to do with who the relatives are and how careful they were,” Schaffner said.

Whenever you are in close contact with friends or relatives, it is important to discuss these things in detail in advance: Is anyone at high risk for serious illness? What kind of precautions and risks are there for guests and hosts from day to day?

Schaffner knows people who stay in the homes of friends or relatives after careful isolation for two weeks before visiting or receiving guests. It is better to consider and agree in advance.

There is no definite answer as to whether it is safe to stay with friends and family or in a hotel. Several factors come into play, including his ability to safely open the distance. To stay in the same house with others, he says, “consider whether the family you visit is isolated and able to take precautionary measures.”

Can you safely gather with people outside your home?

Even if you are staying in a hotel, chances are good that you will be meeting with other housemates to celebrate the holidays.

During the epidemics, Schaffner came to relatives’ homes and they stayed with him, but they only stayed for an hour or two wearing masks from afar, he says.

Food is served, but they sit at the very edge of the dining room table and only take off their masks to eat and drink.

“It makes sense to wear a mask during a family reunion, especially if you (or others) are at risk for serious illness at home,” Wu said.

In the United Kingdom, many regions have officially restricted the size of congregations to control the spread of the virus.

“The Six Rules” showed no signs of controlling crowds for the six groups, but people have found innovative ways to meet the rules while respecting the rules, including ‘drive-by’ weddings, and events day, ”Dawood says.

“Large groups, especially if they come from different homes or geographical locations, may increase the risk of infection,” Wu said.

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