By Natalie B. Compton
The pandemic is not over despite coronavirus cases being on the decline, but what does that mean for our holiday travel outlook? Public health experts share advice on hitting the road and skies to celebrate safely this year.
If you're unvaccinated, advice is the same: Don't travel
While some of the advice from health experts is nuanced, one takeaway is not: Those who can get vaccinated should do so before they travel for the holidays.
"I would not be travelling if I wasn't vaccinated right now. You expose yourself to significant risk," said Iahn Gonsenhauser, chief quality and patient safety officer at Ohio State University. "If you are unvaccinated, your recommendations are identical to what they were last year."
Keri Althoff, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said her holiday travel plans are at a “maybe” status because she doesn’t want to put her unvaccinated children at risk.
“It depends on whether or not my children can get fully immunised,” she said of her holiday travel plans. “So obviously, that won’t be occurring before the Thanksgiving holiday, but perhaps for the December holidays?”
For unvaccinated travellers, precautions such as masking, avoiding crowded indoor spaces and social distancing are crucial. That also may be true if someone in your friend or family group is vaccinated but immuno-compromised.
"People who are immuno-compromised or on certain medications that limit the immune system, even with the vaccine, are going to be at a little bit higher risk," said Joseph Khabbaza, a critical care medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic.
Khabbaza also recommended that those eligible for their coronavirus booster vaccine should get one ahead of holiday travel.
"I think both the combination of boosters and younger children being able to have a vaccination by December certainly does make (holiday travel) safer."
Ask about the vaccine status of your holiday celebrations
Though it may feel awkward or confrontational, Brian Castrucci, the president and CEO of public health charity de Beaumont Foundation, said travellers should find out if people they're visiting for the holidays are vaccinated.
"I would want to know the vaccination status of everyone that I will be having my holiday with," Castrucci said. "And if you're telling me that's a personal issue, then it'll be a personal issue for me to stay home."
While some people may end up avoiding unvaccinated friends or family members, others may adjust their activities to spend time together in safer ways.
Althoff said if you're going to be spending time with unvaccinated people, you may want to consider coming up with outdoor activities or gathering in smaller groups.
"Those modifications that we all had to think through last year, some of us might have to go back to them if you're going to be engaging with a group that has a hefty proportion of unvaccinated people," Althoff said.
Testing
Althoff said testing could help you determine whether the scratchy throat you developed en route to Thanksgiving is a cause for concern.
"Having a test with you can provide you that peace of mind if, heaven forbid, you wake up on the morning of the celebration, and someone's not well," she said.
Of course, rapid tests aren't perfect, and testing too early may miss your infection. But Jessica Malaty Rivera, an epidemiologist with the covid Tracking Project, said they can still be valuable for travellers.
"Rapid antigen tests are really, really good at detecting active infection when you're sick or symptomatic," she said.
For those whose trip goes off without a hitch, Althoff said, once you get home from your holiday travels, you don't have to worry about testing again unless you have concerning symptoms.
Please note that not all destinations offer self rapid antigen tests.
Have a holiday travel backup plan
Should you test positive, Malaty Rivera advised that you hunker down away from others and avoid using any public transportation until you're recovered.
Althoff said everyone should prepare themselves for coronavirus obstacles, whether that's changes in travel restrictions or getting infected before, during or after the trip. While a disturbance to your holiday calendar can feel devastating, she encouraged travellers to stay optimistic and flexible.
If your Thanksgiving falls through, can you tweak plans to see friends or loved ones another time between now and the new year?
"Reconnecting with friends and being close to your loved ones is important always," Althoff said. "But particularly after the long road we've all been on together. Thinking through how to do that safely so that your mental and emotional health is also prioritised with these moments of reconnection is important."