As we enter the second year of the global pandemic, we have become accustomed to certain changes in our daily lives. Eating in a restaurant can involve a tent and heat lamps, doctor appointments are made via telemedicine programs, and the days of meandering through a mall are over. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has another addition to the growing list of lifestyle changes: On Tuesday, you will be required to perform a negative COVID test before flying back from any international destination to the US. .
“If you are planning to travel internationally, you should not be tested for more than three days before traveling by plane to the United States of America (USA) and show your negative result to the airline before boarding your flight. or be willing to show documentation of recovery, ”reads the new policy posted on the CDC’s website on January 23.
Since the new policy is mandatory, airlines must refuse to board anyone who does not deliver a negative COVID test result. It could very well disrupt the travel plans for some, but it could help reduce the potential exposure for pilots as well as the general public.
According to David Cutler, MD, a family physician at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, said the CDC’s new policy did not come a moment too soon. As he explains, the “recently increased ability of COVID to pass from person to person makes air travel and all activities riskier for contracting this disease.”
Longer flights currently pose a risk that experts say is incalculable. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said in a recent interview that shorter flights can be safe due to the use of HEPA filter for ‘flights with a limited duration’, but for long, international flights, ‘all bets are gone. ‘
“It’s impossible to say how safe air travel can be,” Cutler agrees. “It’s important to realize that anyone around you can pass COVID on to you. And you can pass it on to others.”
If you have to fly, read on for some tips approved by experts to do so as safely as possible. And for the masks you should not wear while flying or in any other situation, check out The CDC Warns Against Use This 6 Face Masks.
1
Skip the flight if you have symptoms.
Just because you get a negative test does not necessarily mean you are clear. If you have any of the typical COVID symptoms, you should seriously consider postponing your flight – even if your test has not confirmed your case.
According to the MD Anderson Center at the University of Texas, rapid antigen tests are less accurate than PCR tests to detect the virus. And while the CDC does not require any specific test type, the three-day window will mean that most travelers will use quick tests, which can deliver results in just half an hour, rather than the two to five days it takes to get PCR test results gain.
“To a certain extent, you sacrifice accuracy with speed. By the nature of the case, the tests on antigen style are not as sensitive, because a larger amount of virus is needed to be positive,” the MD explains Anderson Website. “Someone with a positive test according to this style should be infected as COVID-19, but a negative test is less reliable and may need to be confirmed.” And sign up for our daily newsletter for more regular COVID updates.
2
Be vigilant before boarding.
According to Cutler, the risk of flying is not limited to your flight time. “The risk of air travel also includes the risks of transportation to the airport,” along with the time spent navigating airport lines and crowds, he says.
“It is impossible to measure the risk you may be exposed to in these overcrowded, uncontrolled environments. Therefore, travel transmission of COVID and why one of the first steps to control the pandemic has limited travel to countries that has effectively reduced the number of cases and deaths, “Cutler explains. And for more information on how COVID spreads, see why you are more likely to get COVID from someone who does it than cough.
3
Take precautions when using the airport bathroom.
Cutler also suggests that you take extra care when using the toilet while at the airport or on board your flight. These are heavily trafficked areas that often have questionable ventilation, and although most airports have tightened their cleaning programs amid the pandemic, bathrooms can still pose a greater threat to travelers.
If you do use the bathroom, wear your mask, limit what you touch by using clean paper towels to operate taps and doors, and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. For one thing you do not have to do anymore, check out The One Thing You Can Stop Doing to COVID, CDC Says.
4
Wear a mask and face shield for medical.
While on board your flight, Cutler explains that you should have the greatest concern to reduce the risk of those sitting closest to you. “The ventilation systems on commercial aircraft contain HEPA air filters that effectively remove virtually all viral particles,” Cutler explains. “Several small studies have confirmed that most of the risk when flying from the people immediately comes around you.”
Fortunately, you can reduce the risk by being prepared with the right gear and by optimizing ventilation. “The risk can be minimized by wearing an N95 mask and a face shield. You also need to turn up your air browser high to push as much clean air towards you as possible,” Cutler recommends. And for more information on mask safety, then know that if you still do, your mask will not protect you, study says.