Time to travel! How to do it safely?
Most restrictions have been lifted, and travel agencies are resuming operations; we’re booking our first international flight and preparing for our first trip in a long time. Many of us likely have this plan for this summer. The steadily declining number of cases and the growing number of vaccinated people are leading to the easing of restrictions in many countries, and the European Commission is calling for the relaxation of travel restrictions within the European Union. All of this means that Poles, too, are looking forward with growing optimism to the possibility of taking their long-awaited vacation. However, it’s important to remember that this doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, and aside from the coronavirus, we may encounter other illnesses while traveling. Fortunately, we can protect ourselves from most of them by practicing proper hygiene, thereby reducing the risk to our health to almost zero. How can we do this?
Traveling Abroad Wisely
We browse the offers. We find a great deal. A trip to Georgia. A chance to experience a different culture, see Tbilisi, taste Georgian wine and authentic khinkali, all-inclusive, on sale—only 50% of the regular price. Without a second thought, we dial the travel agency’s number or even pay for the trip in advance online. After all, a deal like this might not come around again, right? Let’s pause here.
The global situation is unique, so before choosing a destination—in addition to price and the appeal of the location—we should make it a habit to check how a given country is handling the pandemic, for the sake of our safety. It’s best to check the number of infections per week per million people. This is a more reliable measure than comparing the total number of infections, because 1,000 cases in a country of tens of millions is not equivalent to the same number in a small country like Iceland.
Georgia, which has recently been one of Poles’ favorite travel destinations, currently has more than five times as many infections as Poland did during the same week—1,775. By comparison, in Poland, 290 cases per million people were confirmed over the past week. Among other countries struggling with the spread of the pandemic—and which are frequent vacation destinations for Poles—we can also mention: Greece, where infections remain at a relatively high level with 1,218 cases over the week, and Croatia, which is just emerging from the “second wave,” where the number of infections per million over the week was 865. All of these countries are among the top favorite destinations for Polish vacationers every year. There are also many infections in France—1,317. Meanwhile, the worst situation in Europe is currently in Sweden, where not only were 2,100 infections recorded in the last week, but the country is also still on an upward trend. For the sake of our safety, we should therefore postpone our planned ferry trip to Stockholm.
On the other hand, among the countries that are currently safer vacation destinations than Poland are Egypt, where 78 new infections per million are recorded weekly—five times fewer than in Poland; Albania with 63 cases; Morocco—56; or Portugal, where there are slightly more new cases—302—but at the same time, a very low number of weekly deaths per million people is recorded there—only 0.8, compared to 33 in Poland—which may indicate good control over the spread of the epidemic.
We should take all of this into account before making a hasty decision about where to travel. We must also remember that the situation is changing rapidly. Current statistics can be found, among other places, at reopen.europa.eu.
Travel from A to Z
Once we’ve chosen a safe destination and booked our flight, we can start getting ready for the trip. How can we avoid risks? The main goal is to limit unnecessary contact with people.
Therefore, first of all, it’s a good idea to buy tickets or book a tour online or by phone to avoid standing in lines, and a week before departure, limit contact to a minimum so as not to risk infection, which may manifest once we’re already abroad.
Before leaving, it’s a good idea to install a COVID-19 alert app on your phone. These apps track contact between you and others who have the app and will notify you if, during your trip, you came into contact with someone who later tested positive for the virus. This will allow you to react quickly and get tested. Detecting the disease early will facilitate treatment and allow us to isolate ourselves sooner, preventing the spread of the virus to our loved ones. At this time, there is no single app for all European countries, so it’s advisable to install the official app of the country you’re visiting. A list of current apps can be found on the European Commission’s website under the “Traveling During the Coronavirus Pandemic” tab. Many of these apps also provide information about locations where infected individuals have been, so we can exercise extra caution in those areas. In accordance with EU guidelines, our contacts are tracked by the app using Bluetooth technology based on proximity to other devices with the app installed; therefore, they do not record our location history, and we need not worry about our privacy.
You should also remember to pack a thermometer, fever-reducing medication, and bring necessary medical documents, such as your health record. If we are traveling to any European Union country, we should obtain an EHIC, or European Health Insurance Card. It confirms our right to free medical treatment in any other member state. Obtaining the card is free and can be done at National Health Fund (NFZ) offices. To avoid unnecessary stress during the upcoming vacation season, let’s apply for the EHIC well in advance. When traveling outside the EU, however, it’s worth purchasing additional health insurance.
High-quality disinfectants should be an essential item in your luggage and within easy reach. Both for hand sanitizing and for disinfecting surfaces you’ll come into contact with.
To minimize contact with other people as effectively as possible, it is safest to travel by car—even on the way to the airport. However, you must remember to follow hygiene guidelines. This is where surface disinfectants, such as MEDISEPT surface disinfectant, will come in handy. It is important to disinfect the most frequently used surfaces, such as: exterior and interior door handles, keys, the steering wheel, the gearshift and handbrake levers, and all knobs and buttons inside the car, such as those for opening windows and adjusting seat settings, as well as the touchscreen, if your car has one. Even if you’re the only one driving the car on a daily basis, you may have unknowingly transferred the virus and other germs to these surfaces earlier. After disinfecting the car, you should ventilate it, and only then can you safely hit the road. If you need to stop at a gas station along the way, remember to touch all shared surfaces while wearing disposable gloves—which should ideally be discarded before returning to the car—and make contactless payments. Be sure to disinfect your hands afterward as well.
Traveling by plane and public transportation naturally carries a higher risk, but here too we can reduce it by following the three main rules in the fight against the pandemic: distance, disinfection, mask. Distance – one of the basic safety rules for airborne diseases is to maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from other people. Therefore, when a crowded bus pulls up, it’s worth waiting for the next one. Masks – when in enclosed spaces, we are required to wear masks in most countries around the world. However, it is important to remember that masks protect those around us, not ourselves. Therefore, for our own safety, when we see someone without a mask, we should change seats or move away. Sanitizing – while traveling, it’s impossible to avoid touching shared surfaces. That is why we should always have hand sanitizer on hand, and after touching any surfaces that others have touched—such as doorknobs, handrails, or even after receiving a ticket from a conductor—we must sanitize our hands. It is important to do this before touching your face or any of your personal items that you will later come into contact with, especially your phone, which you will later hold up to your face, exposing yourself to pathogens. In such situations, pocket-sized disinfectant wipes can be helpful, ensuring you always have them on hand. You can also use them to wipe down your phone or other personal items where viruses and bacteria accumulate.
You should spend at least 30 seconds sanitizing your hands each time and use about 3 ml of liquid or gel on each hand. The ethyl or isopropyl alcohol content in the biocidal product should not be less than 60%, but also not more than 75%. Make sure that the label of the selected sanitizing product—whether it is a spray or wipes—includes: the marketing authorization number issued by the Office for Registration of Biocidal Products, Medical Devices, and Medicinal Products, the ingredients, and information on which microorganisms the product is effective against (e.g., antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis). Proper disinfection reduces the number of microorganisms by up to 99.999%, i.e., to a safe level where pathogenic microorganisms are unable to infect humans.
Where to get vaccinated and where to get tested
At the airport, we must also remember all the rules. Additionally, depending on the country we choose, different procedures await us. In most cases, we will be required to take COVID-19 tests before check-in and after landing, and only a negative result will exempt us from quarantine. However, an increasing number of countries are exempting fully vaccinated individuals (meaning two weeks after receiving the final vaccine dose) from quarantine and testing. These countries include Greece and Portugal, where proof of prior infection also exempts travelers from testing; the situation is similar in Croatia and Bulgaria. Spain has also recently announced a decision to freely admit vaccinated tourists. Albania, on the other hand, is one of the few countries where Polish residents can enter without having to undergo testing, even without vaccination. In contrast, in countries such as India, South Africa, and Brazil, even a negative test result does not exempt travelers from the quarantine requirement.
Where to find information?
To help navigate the confusion surrounding border restrictions and other rules in effect across member states, the European Union has launched the Re-open EU portal. At reopen.europa.eu or using a special mobile app, you can check what rules you must follow when entering specific countries; what the quarantine and testing requirements are; where a vaccine is sufficient to be exempt from them, and where a certificate of recovery is required. You’ll also find the safety requirements in effect in those countries, such as whether masks are required at our destination, whether beaches, restaurants, or cultural venues are open, and what restrictions apply to gatherings and movement—since, it’s worth noting, a curfew is still in effect in some countries. Simply enter your departure and destination locations in the appropriate fields, along with the countries you’ll be passing through, and the tool will display all the necessary information. This information is updated daily and covers all EU countries as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland.
For more information on infection prevention, visit www.medisept.pl
