Sunday, July 10, 2022

Lessons from Revenge Travel - especially internationally

Positive antigen test example.








This trip of mine ended on July 5 in Dublin, Ireland.  


Covid impact on a 15-day Gate1 Scotland-Ireland road trip was startling, starting day 1 with 34 people and ending at day 15 down to 25. Note that the 9 dropouts included 5 tested positive after feeling ill, and 4 were their roommates or spouses.

These are the Gate1 tour bus protocols which I think are very responsible and pragmatical.  Face masking was required on the bus at all times. When someone was sick, negative antigen testing was required to continue the trip.  One can rejoin the group only when negative antigen testing was demonstrated after recovery.




With these pandemic omicron variants, buses and airplanes are super spreader mediums in my opinion.



To deal with unexpected negative test results for the trip, these are important and preferred skill sets to allow for speedy recovery.  Technical currency in using mobile phone apps - includes local taxi hailing apps like Uber and FreeNow (in Europe) and Google Maps for restaurants, transportation alternatives. With these apps and help from the hotel personnel, one can find the Randox Health Travel Center in the Ireland cities.






The DIY antigen test kits should be packed for travel like your other goody vitamins.

Watch for travel chaos and staff shortage near and around the airports.  Although face masking is not mandatory anymore on public transportation systems, I would argue strongly to wear masks in closed systems like subways, buses, and airplanes.

We are done with Covid mentally, but the Covid is not done with us yet.  Revenge travel is popular and irresistible, but it is not as safe as you may think.  You can run into serious headwinds. The Guardian news had it that New Zealand faced a new Covid wave as experts sat moving on from the pandemic was 'wishful thinking'. 

There is a new Omicron variant dominating the U.S. It may pose the biggest threat to immunity yet. My read is that immunity does not build after contracting Covid.  So no matter how many times you are infected the symptoms are not less.

References:

[1] Gate1 Travel https://www.gate1travel.com/

[2] Wishful Thinking https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/05/new-zealand-faces-new-covid-wave-as-experts-say-moving-on-from-pandemic-is-wishful-thinking

[3] BA.4 and Ba.5 from NBC News https://apple.news/AYU_xjWx_SOS4jBTq7nzFXg