Travel can increase your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
You and your travel companions (including children) may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to family, friends, and community after travel.
If you have a known exposure to COVID-19 you should delay travel, quarantine yourself from other people, get tested, and monitor your health. Check your state or local health department for information about local quarantine requirements. (cdc.gov)
Don’t travel if you are sick or test positive for COVID-19. Don’t travel with someone who is sick. (cdc.gov)
Travelling during COVID-19 pandemic does take a high level of self-responsibility but with proper planning and precautions, it can be enjoyed safely for leisure.
Here are some reminders and tips for a safe trip:
1. Check local covid-19 regulations before you start your trip.
Do your research before you get too focused on a specific destination. Ensure that the place is open and see what regulations are currently in place. Quarantine mandates, mask requirements, and other guidelines vary by city. Know what is expected at your destination (and when you return home). Doing so will help you prepare for the local rules and get some paperwork in order ahead of time. Good sources of information are tourism board and local government websites and their official (verified) social media pages.
2. Do your research to conquer travel anxiety.
How safe is it to travel on an airplane? On a bus? On a train? Are you travelling with people who don’t live with you? What particular masks are most likely to prevent infection? Seek out reputable, scientific sources to help you make decisions on travel, like CDC, WHO or your local health department to ease your fear of the unknown.
3. For leisure trips to another city or town, test yourself before you travel.
Please be a responsible traveler. It is highly recommended to have yourself tested before and after your trip to make sure you are not spreading the virus to anyone vulnerable. This way you can help protect the local communities while travelling and the people you live with when you return home.
4. Choose your lodging carefully.
Great options for travel today are luxury hotels with good quality air conditioning and proper filtration or with balconies to access fresh air. Do your research and check the property’s safety and sanitation procedures and choose where you feel safest.
I’M Hotel offers luxury accommodation for a well managed isolation necessary for travelling during this pandemic while providing the security for guests’ wellbeing. Package includes premium full board meals, wi-fi connection, and spacious rooms with kitchenette and laundry facility for Premier and 2-Bedroom Suites. Check out I’M Hotel’s special offer for Quarantine Stays.
5. Plan your food and supplies.
Strategizing your food supplies plan can avoid random trips to the stores. This is helpful to minimize your contact with others especially for those who are on road trips. Plan out your meals and pack as much food and water you can fit in your vehicle. Consider relying on non-perishables if you want to stretch your food supply.
For fresh food, you may look into buying from local farmers markets instead of grocery stores. For dining out, get take out rather than dining in. Buying from farmers market and local restaurants is a great way to support the local community who could use some business right now.
6. Remind yourself about these general principles on safe travel during COVID-19 by CDC:
a. Practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette
Before you leave, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
Once you reach your destination, wash your hands again or use hand sanitizer as soon as possible.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of your elbow. Throw used tissues in the trash and wash your hands immediately with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
b. Social Distance
During travel, try to keep at least 6 feet (2 meters, approximately 2 arms’ length) from people who are not in your household — for example, when you are waiting at a bus station or selecting seats on a train.
c. Wear a mask
Wear a mask in public settings, like on public and mass transportation, at events and gatherings, and anywhere you will be around other people.
Masks should not be placed on:
- Babies and children younger than 2 years old
- Anyone who has trouble breathing
- Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance
Wear masks to help keep from getting and spreading COVID-19.
d. Stay home when appropriate
If you are sick, have recently had a close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) to a person with COVID-19, or are waiting for COVID test results, avoid using transportation options that may put you in close contact with others (e.g., public transit, rideshare, or taxis). Stay home except to seek medical care.
If you are sick and public transportation is your only option when seeking medical care, wear a mask over your nose and mouth, practice social distancing (staying at least 6 feet away from other people as much as possible), and practice hand hygiene, including using hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not readily available. For non-emergency medical care, make an appointment ahead of time and, if using public transportation, travel during non-peak hours, if possible.
e. Bring supplies
Before traveling, pack sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol (in case you are unable to wash your hands at your destination).
Wear your mask in public settings, like on public and mass transportation, at events and gatherings, and anywhere you will be around other people, for example, while riding on a train or bus, waiting at a rest stop, or riding in a car with people outside your household.
Bring extra masks and a sealable plastic bag. If your mask gets wet or dirty, put a clean mask on and put the wet or dirty mask in the plastic bag until you can wash it.
f. Protect people at risk for severe illness from COVID-19
Individuals who have an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should consider the risks and benefits of non-essential travel.
Leisure stays at I’M Hotel are not allowed at this time. However, we accept reservations for stays from April 2021 onwards. Please call +77557 888 or email reservations@imhotel.com for more enquiries. Please like and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @imhotelph and stay tuned for announcements, flash sales and other promotions.
