Travel during Covid OmicronB

[gayl]

Great time on the cruise & tested negative at home on return. BUT 3 of 11 immediate family members (DS & DGS in 1 home, DGD that lives with me) are positive and they didn't go anywhere other than the office (DS who shared it with DGS) and played in a BB tournament (DGD).

Are you testing on return from travels?
How long does quarantine last?
Oops .... Philharmonic tickets for next Friday .... will test again which uses up those 4 freebie boxes

 

[W2R]

Gayl, that's great to hear that you tested negative after your cruise! I hope your family members who tested positive after staying home, do not become severely ill.

I don't travel so I don't really know the answers to your questions. I remember when I was in the hospital last year with a severe case of the delta variant of Covid, they told Frank (who had been with me constantly but never got Covid) that he had to quarantine for two weeks.

 

[Sunset]

If you are on Medicare, (fully), it will pay for tests you can pick up at the pharmacy.

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-covers-over-counter-covid-19-tests

 

[pacergal]

We are heading to the coast next week to be with friends.
We will test before we go and again when we get home, and again 3-5 days after.
We also test every week before we care for DGS, get 2 boxes/week at the pharmacy available from our insurance.

 

[gcgang]

People are tired of Covid.

My cousin, who has been a staunch mask supporter, had a trip to Hilton Head planned. A week before his wife tested positive. A few days later, he tested positive. They went, but he assured me they didn’t have severe symptoms and wore their masks on the plane.

I felt like screaming at him, ITS NOT ABOUT YOU, it’s about all the people around you. Sigh.

 

[gayl]

quarantine for two weeks.

... get 2 boxes/week at the pharmacy available from our insurance.

Will check there bc we ran through all the USPS ones from covidtests.gov and I'm thinking we should test before going to the concert next Friday.

 

[Chuckanut]

I spent nearly two weeks in a state that was rather famous in 2020 for not taking Covid very seriously. Almost nobody wore a mask except for one theater where the management insisted on masks. That was the only crowded indoor place I went

I have tested myself twice since returning home, at three days and at 7 days. Both were negative. FWIW, I have not experienced any symptoms that would indicate Covid.

Oh, I did get boosted about two weeks before leaving on the trip. And I did bring some N95 masks with me. If I am going to wear a mask it's going to be one that fits well and filters most of those nasty viruses.

 

[Dash man]

One week after we returned to PA from the winter in Florida, I received my second booster. A week later I got Covid. I know they’re not related, but it hit me pretty hard for a few days. DW and DFIL got it soon after. No idea where I got it from. I was at church that Sunday before, but wasn’t close to anyone. We had family over for Easter, but none of them were sick. So careful for two years, but still got it.

 

[disneysteve]

People are tired of Covid.

This statement drives me crazy. Do these people think everyone else isn't tired of it too? Do they think us healthcare workers are having a ball? We're still seeing several new cases a day in urgent care. Numbers are rising in many states. Hospital numbers are picking back up. Nowhere near what we saw before but it's definitely still going strong.

My cousin, who has been a staunch mask supporter, had a trip to Hilton Head planned. A week before his wife tested positive. A few days later, he tested positive. They went, but he assured me they didn’t have severe symptoms and wore their masks on the plane.

I felt like screaming at him, ITS NOT ABOUT YOU, it’s about all the people around you. Sigh.

The irresponsibility of people is disgusting. How could you knowingly get on an airplane with a highly contagious disease? This is why things got as bad as they did in the first place. People can't do the right thing even when it's staring them in the face. If two years into this people still can't understand that they need to isolate when they are sick, we're doomed.

 

[disneysteve]

To answer the original question, we aren't traveling for other reasons (wife's medical issues) but if we were both healthy, we might do some domestic travel, day trips, driving distance places. The hard part would be dining since we wouldn't want to eat indoors so it would have to be somewhere with adequate outdoor dining options.

 

[skyking1]

I booked the UK flights for August but it has been difficult to do.
We are travelling to/from, but not going to any venues or indoor dining over there. We will both have our second booster about a month before going, for hopefully the most effect.

 

[W2R]

Gayl, that's great to hear that you tested negative after your cruise! I hope your family members who tested positive after staying home, do not become severely ill.

I don't travel so I don't really know the answers to your questions. I remember when I was in the hospital last year with a severe case of the delta variant of Covid, they told Frank (who had been with me constantly but never got Covid) that he had to quarantine for two weeks.

I made a mistake - - I was reading my post to Frank, and he said the hospital only told him to quarantine for one week, not two. Sorry!!!

 

[Midpack]

Travel? Going on a cruise, where you’re confined for days, is different than many other forms of travel.

We still take precautions - we’re both vaxxed and boosted once, we still wear masks and avoid confined spaces often, but we’re not living our lives in fear of Covid anymore. If either of us feel sick at all, we’ll do a Covid test, but we don’t arbitrarily test with no symptoms whatsoever - e.g. after travel. The OP mentioned travel, yet other family members were infected at the office? So test after you go to the office and BB tournaments?

Unless you’ve confined yourself ongoing, you can’t know when you’ve been exposed, we all have by now.

Both of us are in good health, our probability of severe Covid is low, and it appears immunity after Covid is better than that from vaccines. I know quite a few people our age in at best average health who’ve had Covid, it was bad for 24 to 96 hours, but none were hospitalized. We’re not planning on another booster, maybe with next years flu shot if that’s an option.

For the most part, predicting who is susceptible to severe Covid is known. The vast majority have been older in poor health or younger with one or more co-morbidities. Yes I know there are exceptions, but that’s not a basis for decisions, you could die from the flu too. [I am not equating Covid and flu]

To what I gather is the central question however, if either of us were infected, we would self quarantine. It’s not OK to knowingly expose others IMO, friends, family or strangers. That said, I’m sure some people knowingly expose others all the time…I can’t control that.

 

[Alan]

We’ve been travelling again this past 3 months. Mostly domestic travel plus a week in Spain. Dining inside cafes and restaurants. We still wear masks inside shops, stately homes, museums and such, even if they don’t request that you do. We also wear masks on buses and trains. We live in a touristy market town and it’s good to see the tour buses in the parking lot and tourists wandering through the streets again.

We have both had 4 different vaccines, last one 2 months ago. If they offer another booster in the Fall with the annual flu vaccine we will take that.

 

[donheff]

We flew to Phoenix to attend a funeral over the weekend. We tested negative before and a few days after the trip. It was an interesting trip. Leaving DC from Dulles at least 1/2 of the travelers wore masks in the airport and on the plane. Returning from Phoenix about 90%+ were unmasked, both in the airport and one the plane. I wore a mask in crowded airport locations, shuttles, etc, and some of the time on the plane. After things settled down in flight I removed my mask for a while since the HEPA filtered air supply was right in my face. I'm heading back west in a few weeks on a trip I don't want to miss so I will be extra cautious as the trip approaches.

 

[Chuckanut]

I wore a mask in crowded airport locations, shuttles, etc, and some of the time on the plane. After things settled down in flight I removed my mask for a while since the HEPA filtered air supply was right in my face.

In a recent interview Dr. Gottlieb mentioned that he wears a snug fitting N95 mask in the airports and while boarding and de-planing. Once the plane is in the air he does not wear a mask as he believes the filter system on aircraft is very good. I am assuming that he would not take off the mask inside the plane if person near him shoes signs of a respiratory disease.

FWIW, I crank the vent that blows filtered air on me just to the point just below where the breeze becomes annoying.

 

[braumeister]

I just got back from three weeks in the Grand Canyon. Two weeks of that were on a rafting/hiking trip with 32 people in very close contact with each other. Kind of funny that we were required to wear a mask during the ten minute ride to the launch point at Lees Ferry, but from then on no masks.

Everyone was OK as far as COVID, but all the rafting companies are currently dealing with norovirus (the cruise ship standard) in the canyon. Several rafting trips have been canceled as a result. Despite very assiduous hand washing and sanitizing, nearly half the people on our trip got it and they all had an extremely bad couple of days as a result. I was lucky.

 

[gayl]

Travel? Going on a cruise, where you’re confined for days, is different than many other forms of travel.

Maybe. I had an expanded balcony and only 2 sea days. So I wasn't closer than eating out here. The only one in my immediate family that isn't vaxed took DGD to the BB Tournament (DD xH) .... leaving it up to her to tell him as he will go ballistic. Actually he's why she lives here. Refused to let her go to 'regular' school as 'their' version of science is 'wrong' & my DD works 4-12am.

(Oddly DGD wants to be a pharmacists (shh [emoji2958] don't tell him bc I'm already a bad influence turning 1 kid into a regular school teacher & driving her down for 7 vaccines when she moved in))

 

[brett]

We have not even considered a cruise yet. No desire to be stuck in our cabin if one of us tests positive mid cruise.

Our first post covid trip is in three weeks. A month of independent travel in Portugal.

It was either Greece or Portugal. Portugal has better covid stats and approach so we selected Portugal. Perhaps Greece in the fall.

One thing we are noticing....air fares to Europe at the moment are very inexpensive. Similar to what we paid pre covid.

 

[audreyh1]

I just got back from three weeks in the Grand Canyon. Two weeks of that were on a rafting/hiking trip with 32 people in very close contact with each other. Kind of funny that we were required to wear a mask during the ten minute ride to the launch point at Lees Ferry, but from then on no masks.

Everyone was OK as far as COVID, but all the rafting companies are currently dealing with norovirus (the cruise ship standard) in the canyon. Several rafting trips have been canceled as a result. Despite very assiduous hand washing and sanitizing, nearly half the people on our trip got it and they all had an extremely bad couple of days as a result. I was lucky.

Terrible. If one thing doesn’t get you, another thing does!

Glad you were spared.

Other than the shuttle ride you were all outdoors, right?

 

[braumeister]

Other than the shuttle ride you were all outdoors, right?

Yes, but spent part of every day on the boat, where you're shoulder to shoulder.

Norovirus can be a remarkably nasty critter. Projectile vomiting was the most common symptom, along with total fatigue. Sad to see many strong people laid low by it.

 

[Turbo29]

Everyone was OK as far as COVID, but all the rafting companies are currently dealing with norovirus (the cruise ship standard) in the canyon. Several rafting trips have been canceled as a result. Despite very assiduous hand washing and sanitizing, nearly half the people on our trip got it and they all had an extremely bad couple of days as a result. I was lucky.

This has been going on for years. I used to work with someone who went to the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. His first assignment was at the Grand Canyon and most of his time was spent dealing with norovirus outbreaks. You'd think they would have a handle on it by now.

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, but spent part of every day on the boat, where you're shoulder to shoulder.

Norovirus can be a remarkably nasty critter. Projectile vomiting was the most common symptom, along with total fatigue. Sad to see many strong people laid low by it.

I assume it’s an open boat, no roof? Excellent airflow.

 

[audreyh1]

This has been going on for years. I used to work with someone who went to the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. His first assignment was at the Grand Canyon and most of his time was spent dealing with norovirus outbreaks. You'd think they would have a handle on it by now.

Hmmmm - too bad they haven’t figured this out.

 

[oiseux]

People are tired of Covid.

My cousin, who has been a staunch mask supporter, had a trip to Hilton Head planned. A week before his wife tested positive. A few days later, he tested positive. They went, but he assured me they didn’t have severe symptoms and wore their masks on the plane.

I felt like screaming at him, ITS NOT ABOUT YOU, it’s about all the people around you. Sigh.

This is the precise reason I'm bringing a KN95 for my flight later today. Ugh.