- I think the latest surge with the delta variant
is very confusing and frustrating for people.
We felt like last summer there was no travel.
There was all these extended periods where we thought,
"We can't travel anymore."
And now with the delta variant,
it's starting to feel very 2020 for people.
- The hyper-transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus
has now forced some would-be travelers
to consider whether it's safe to follow through with their trips.
Here are a few questions that can help you make that call.
- There are things that you can do
and that you would want to do to protect yourself,
protect your family, your loved ones
with whom you will travel or to whom you will go visit,
as well as those you don't know but with whom you will interact.
So first and foremost, you would consider,
if there is no reason why it can't happen,
such as your age is too low, it is strongly suggested
that you take one of the, here in the United States,
three vaccines approved under the emergency use authorization.
So that's number one.
Once again, when you're going to be with others,
you would want to consider wearing a mask.
And also, if you are in groups of people,
particularly those who you do not know,
then this concept of physical distancing of six feet
or more becomes important.
- What does the pandemic look like at your destination?
- I think that right now a health expert would tell you
you want to make sure you're not going to a place
that has a surge of delta-variant cases
where you are going.
You can look at the local health department website
of the place that you're going,
or a simple Google can pull up those results,
on The Washington Post sometimes, and see,
"Is this place that I'm going to a hot zone
for the delta variant?"
- When was the last time you were tested?
Is there a chance you're putting others at risk?
- So, if you're going to visit family
and let's say you're gonna drive or take a plane,
you probably would want to consider being tested
and prove to yourself that you are not
infected before you travel.
And seeing that the turnaround time for PCR tests is variable
and usually costs more the quicker that you want it,
you probably want to consider having the test
collected two to three days before you're going to travel.
And you can even take the test result with you if you want.
Here in the United States, it's not necessary,
but for some countries it is.
You have to show it on entry.
- What about travel insurance?
- Now that we are living in these pandemic times
and you don't know what's gonna happen
a couple months down the road,
people are recommending getting travel insurance,
particularly if you're gonna be going on a trip
that requires you to put money down up front,
so that could be an all-inclusive stay
somewhere or going on a cruise,
if you are one of the brave souls
who are starting to go on a cruise again.
If it's something where you're going to spend a weekend
at your friend's house in Los Angeles
or you know that the Hilton has a good return policy
or refund policy where they're gonna let you change your plans
without a fee,
travel insurance might not make sense in the same way.
However, what you want to do
is make sure that your medical insurance
covers whatever you're gonna be doing
just in case you get COVID abroad
and you need to be helped in that way.
Or not even abroad.
If you get sick domestic, you want to make sure
that you have coverage where you're going just in case.
- So, is there some sort of blanket rule
on whether or not you should travel?
Not exactly.
- Really, it's a risk assessment.
It's, what are your underlying health conditions
and those for members of your family?
What is your risk tolerance?
What are you going to be doing?
So as you can see, one size can't fit all.
Now, with that in mind, there are places
in the United States that are riskier than others
because they have higher levels of ongoing transmission.
You should realize that the delta variant is everywhere,
and it is highly transmissible,
more transmissible than the virus was at this time
last year.