Can we still travel safely during COVID-19 pandemic?

Honestly, I’m not qualified to answer that question.  The worldwide pandemic caused by COVID-19 is admittedly a bit scary.  Each person must determine his/her own level of cautiousness, based on which, if any, risk factors he/she has to deal with.  Using common sense and erring on the side of caution are always good ideas when deciding if one can still travel safely.

Personally, I will not be traveling much until the virus is contained and the health departments give the all-clear.  So my posting may change a bit for a while.  I can still share some past trips we’ve taken.  And we can still talk about anxiety and how to deal with it.

According to the World Health Organization, “Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.”  COVID-19 is a novel (new) coronavirus.

For those of you who feel more confident about continuing to be out among people, or you simply have to get out to shop for essentials, I’ve compiled a list of things you can do to stay safe out there.

General precautions from Dr. Robb

This list comes mostly from James Robb, M.D., an expert on coronaviruses.

1.  No handshaking.  Greet others with a fist bump, elbow bump, or slight bow.

2.  Use only your knuckle to touch light switches, elevator buttons, etc.

3.  Lift the gasoline dispenser with a paper towel or use a disposable glove.

4.  Open doors with your closed fist or hip.  Do not grasp the handle with your hand.  This is especially important with bathroom doors and commercial doors.

5.  Use disinfectant wipes at stores when they are available.

6. Whenever you return home from ANY activity that involves locations where other people have been,  wash your hands for 10-20 seconds.  Sing your ABC’s to yourself (or out loud if you feel confident!) or something like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or the Doxology (for you church-goers that know that one).  These are all about 20 seconds long, so you’ll know you’ve scrubbed long enough when you come to the end of the song.  Or use a greater than 60% alcohol-based hand sanitizer.  Keep some in your car and at all the entrances to your home.

7. Cough or sneeze into a tissue and discard whenever possible.  Use your elbow if you have to, but clothing on your elbow will contain infectious virus that can be passed on for up to a week or more!

8.  Don’t touch your face!  This virus is lung specific, and it only enters through your mouth and nose.  Unfortunately, we touch our nose/mouth 90 times per day without even realizing it.

A good plan from the Japanese

Japanese doctors treating COVID-19 make this recommendation:

Take a few sips of water every 15 minutes at least.  Why?  Even if the virus gets into your mouth, drinking water or other liquids will wash them down through your throat and into the stomach.  Stomach acid will kill all the virus.

To travel safely, follow these suggestions

If you are still going to travel within the US, here are some helpful suggestions to travel safely and to just generally keep yourself from getting sick.  These are not just COVID-19 precautions; these will help keep you healthy in general.

1.  Boost your immune system.  Several days before you set out, add these immune system booster foods to your diet:  citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, garlic, ginger, spinach, almonds, yogurt, turmeric, green tea, papaya, kiwi, poultry, sunflower seeds, and shellfish.

2.  Get enough sleep.  Most adults need 7-9 hours of sleep per night to function properly.

3.  Regulate your caffeine.  The Mayo Clinic says 400 mg of caffeine per day seems to be safe for the average adult.

4.  Hydrate.  Healthline recommends 8 8 oz. glasses of water per day.  This is known as the 8×8 Rule, which makes it easy to remember.  And if you’re following the advice of the Japanese above, you’ll have no problem getting that much water in you.

While you’re traveling, you may want to use your own water bottle with its own purifier.  LARQbottle or Brita are good choices!

5.  Be wary of your surroundings.  Be sure to only use glasses in hotel rooms that are sealed completely in plastic.  Otherwise, wash them yourself in very hot water before using.  Wipe surfaces down with disinfectant wipes before you touch them.  This includes counters, chairs, airplane surfaces, TVs, etc.

P.S – Do you know what the dirtiest surface in an airport is?  The self-check-in kiosk.  Second are the water fountain handles.

Common Sense will help you travel safely

Above all, use your common sense to help you travel safely.  Don’t lick doorknobs.  Put your food on a plate or napkin, not directly on a table.  Don’t shake hands with someone you just saw sneeze into their hand.  Use the brain God gave you!  Most importantly — wash your hands OFTEN and don’t touch your face.

These are good guidelines with or without the coronavirus out there.

There is a great article on The Conversation website – Ten Reasons We Ought Not to Panic.

But the biggest thing is this – be kind to one another.  We’re all in this together.  We need to share the soap, the disinfectants, the toilet paper with each other, because my safety relies not only on ME washing my hands, but on others doing likewise.  Remember the words of Dr. Spock in Star Trek’s The Wrath of Khan:  the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.