The First Covid Thanksgiving

Sacramento Covid Cases have increased by 400%. Last week there were over a million new cases nationwide bringing the infection rate to over 11 million in the US. Experts recommend staying home this Thanksgiving. As traveling increases, so does your risk of being exposed to the coronavirus and of possibly spreading it to others.

AAA predicts Thanksgiving 2020 will have the lowest travel volume in four years. It is predicted 2.4 million Americans will travel by air, a 48% decline from 2019. 48 million Americans will travel by car.

Last week, we conducted a small poll on social media, here in Sacramento. (143 participants)

14%* of the people said they were visiting family out of town

22% said family members were joining them here in Sacramento

44%* say they celebrating Thankgiving with their immediate family.

* Unlike a traditional poll, the response was public. If this was a blind poll, we belive the first question would be higher and the third question would be lower.

The more cases at your destination, the more likely you are to get infected during travel and spread the virus to others when you return,” the CDC cautions.

If you are traveling here are a few suggestions:

Airports, train stations and rest stops are places where people are at risk of being exposed to the virus and it can be difficult to stay six feet away from others, as health experts strongly recommend. At airports, for example, travelers must wait in security lines and gather at gates before boarding their planes.

Once on a plane, where you sit matters. “There’s actually research on this, believe it or not: You want to sit at the window,” Dr. George Rutherford, epidemiologist and infectious diseases expert at UC San Francisco, said during a recent campus town hall. “And you want to sit as far away from the toilets as much as possible, which would minimize how often you’re near passengers walking past you…You want to be as far away from that action as possible.”Rutherford also recommended choosing airlines that are not selling the middle seats in rows to increase distancing between passengers. “I think that’s important,” he said.

“Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes,” the CDC says. “However, social distancing is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within six feet of others, sometimes for hours, may increase your risk of getting COVID-19.”

Taxi’s or Rideshares

The CDC recommends to avoid riding with unmasked drivers or passengers; avoid touching surfaces; don’t accept free water bottles; sit as far as possible from the driver; and ask the driver to improve ventilation by opening the windows or setting the air ventilation system on non-recirculation mode, the agency said.

Car Travel

“Don’t share vehicles with people you don’t live with. Vehicles are small enclosed spaces where COVID-19 can spread easily between people. “If you must share a vehicle, try to ride with the same people each time, make sure everyone wears a face covering and open the windows to maximize outdoor air circulation as much as you can.

Public Transit

Those taking public transit  should avoid touching surfaces, travel during non-peak hours and stay at least six feet from other travelers whenever possible. “Stay out of crowded spaces when possible, especially at transit stations and stops,” the CDC says.

College Students

Rutherford suggested that college students not return home for the holidays this winter. But if that’s not possible, he suggested having them get tested before they depart and tested again at home with about three days between tests. “One single test is not going to do it. You got to get tested twice,”

Self Quarantine

Should you travel out of town it is recommended that you self quarantine for 14 days. Staying at home as much as possible, and not leaving to go to the grocery store or to restaurants. Instead, people in quarantine should order food to be delivered.

Covid Testing

A single negative test is not proof that someone is not infected. If a person is tested shortly after becoming infected and before the virus has reproduced enough copies of itself, a test could fail to detect the virus and produce a false negative result.

CityFella

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