Summer vacation season is upon us, even though coronavirus cases continue to climb.
During an Emory Facebook Live on Thursday, Dr. Henry Wu, director of Emory University’s TravelWell Center, gave tips on what people should keep in mind while traveling.
For road trips, he said to pack food and necessary supplies to limit times when you have to come into contact with others. He also said it could prove handy to bring hand sanitizer and to wear a mask to minimize possible exposure to COVID-19.
Wu said he would be hesitant to go on a cruise at this time. He said cruise ships are challenging places to avoid contagious diseases, given the close quarters and shared facilities.
“It’s a mix of people from around the world,” he said on the Facebook Live. “… It’s a risky proposition at this point.”
When flying, Wu said on Facebook that it’s important to wear a face covering, practice hand hygiene and to “be extremely vigilant” due to the “prolonged period of risk” that comes with being in an airport and airplane.
He also said that the cleanliness of vacation rentals, hotels and Airbnbs should be kept in mind. While many hotels have adopted more cleaning measures, he said it can be a good idea to wipe down high-touch areas in your room.
Other pieces of advice he gave include reaching out to the Airbnb host to see what their cleaning practices are and asking for a hotel room that has been vacated for the longest amount of time.
Wu cautioned travelers to remember to keep their distance when checking into a hotel, as well. He said that we need to “redefine what’s personal space,” while being out and about to maintain 6 feet of distance from each other.
