Coronavirus Information for Travel
Beginning of 2020 has introduced us to the new mutation of a member of coronaviruses. But are the symptoms any different from the common flu?
COVID-19 is thought to have originated in wildlife sold at a market in Wuhan, China. A rapid- but not unexpected global spread has been recognized. According to the largest studies elderly and sick are most at risk.
What's worth mentioning is that those who passed away might have succumbed to common flu infection with the same result as well.
Tedros Adhanom- the CEO of the World Health Organization believes that the new variation of coronavirus is less contagious than common flu.
| COVID-19 | Symptoms | Common flu |
| ✔ | fever | ✔ |
| ✔ | chills | ✔ |
| ✔ | sore throat | ✔ |
| ✔ | cough | ✔ |
| ✔ | fatigue breathing | ✔ |
| ✔ | headache | ✔ |
1. Pay attention to hand hygiene
It doesn't really matter whether you are going to choose regular soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. What is more important, you should wash your hands thoroughly and regularly. It has been proven to be one of the most efficient ways of reducing the risk of infecting yourself. Another thing that you might want to consider is the fact that this variation of coronavirus is completely new. Even though there are still multiple tests to be conducted, we can be sure that it is spread by a droplet route of infection. It is always recommended to decrease touching your face to an absolute minimum.
2. Disinfection of your area on the plane
Although the airports and airlines prevent the spread of infection and diseases and there are departments of people responsible for making your flight as safe as possible, it is always worth taking special care.
Every airline has now increased the security repercussions to the maximum. Antiseptics had been exchanged to their stronger equivalents, which are believed to be effective against even precarious conditions.
World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that for now, we cannot be sure of how long the coronavirus can be sustained on objects. But based on our vast knowledge, collected through years of research (about other coronaviruses), it appears that it is no longer than a couple of hours or a few days.
If you wish to take additional steps towards safety, add to your carry-on a pack of disinfecting wipes and swiping them through your table, chair and every object you might come into contact with.
3. Booking a window seat
It is believed that passengers with the window seats are at the lowest risk of coming into contact with an infected person, just because they tend to stay in their seat for the majority of stay. It is worth to remember that based on data provided by WHO, the distance you should keep from an infected person would be 1 meter (3 feet) and an average commercial plane is between 40-50 meters (130-160 feet).
4. Wearing a face mask
Adding this additional barrier will protect you from those who are yet unaware of their disease. Wear a mask in the place where you are endangered with contact with people from unfamiliar social environments. Also, keep in mind that the symptoms of coronavirus are very similar to the common flu, so avoid those who are sneezing or coughing. Center for Disease Control and Prevention does recommend N95 only for health care workers as for the general public- a regular surgical face mask is going to be sufficient.
5. Choosing direct connections over a transit one
This rule applies to the increase in your health in general, not only to the coronavirus’s most recent outbreak. Spending as little time as possible in such crowded places as airports and planes will decrease the risk of infection via droplet route without a doubt
Currently, at almost every airport, you might be required to fulfill a survey describing your ongoing physical condition. Moreover, you can expect to have your body temperature examined before your flight.
As you can see, several actions have been taken to increase your safety. However, airports tend to be always crowded and it is strongly advised to minimize the time spent there. You would not need to worry about examining yourself afterwards what will definitely increase your stress during your annual holidays
6. Obeying the basic rules of personal hygiene
This one way has been proven to be accurate by the World Health Organization, not in order to prevent coronavirus infection only but to avoid any infection in general. Good personal hygiene is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves and others from many illnesses and diseases.
