Is it possible to travel responsibly (during a pandemic)?

[Grateful head]

I'm a little on the fence, but I'm leaning toward thinking perhaps there should be more restrictions on travel at this time. Ideally we would leave it up to the individuals to make choices that at least limit the risks to those who aren't knowingly taking them on, but that doesn't seem to be working out. Perhaps the restrictions should involve mandatory supervised quarantine before and after the trip in a hotel adjacent to the departure airport. If you can swing a month away for a week's vacation, go enjoy your tropical paradise.

Mandatory “supervised” quarantine?? I hope you never step foot inside a grocery store or really any public place, ever. Even if corona goes by the wayside, you may inadvertently pass the common flu on to someone, they could die. On your way to the grocery store, you may accidentally run a red light and cause an auto crash. Seriously, California has some of the nations strictest covid rules yet have some of the highest numbers. Hmm. Supervised quarantine.... smh

 

[Esprise Me]

So if we can't eliminate all risks of any kind, let's not even bother reducing the big ones that aren't as important (recreational travel vs eating)?

Do you not wear a seatbelt while driving because someone might run a red light on their way to the grocery store and kill you while you're crossing the street?

 

[Grateful head]

That’s a really poor analogy. I never said “ to hell with masks, social distancing is for idiots”. Your making a big leap and an assumption and you know what it means to assume. You said “mandatory supervised quarantine”. Sounds wholly extreme. Do you know that covid has 99.98% survival rate for people under 70? I stand by what I said....you should never venture out in public again.

 

[Grateful head]

So if we can't eliminate all risks of any kind, let's not even bother reducing the big ones that aren't as important (recreational travel vs eating)?

Do you not wear a seatbelt while driving because someone might run a red light on their way to the grocery store and kill you while you're crossing the street?

Do you call the police when you see someone not wearing a seatbelt? Do you call the police when you see someone driving four miles above the speed limit?

 

[MichaelMc]

Seriously, California has some of the nations strictest covid rules yet have some of the highest numbers.

You realize California has the most people, right?

CDC shows us high, but not leading in the past 7 days death rate, but low down in total death rate.
COVID-19 Cases, Deaths, and Trends in the US | CDC COVID Data Tracker

 

[rick00001967]

If it's a big enough communicable health hazard, it should have laws and regulations prohibiting it. Should it?

i don't pretend to know anything about emergency measures and laws that can be put in place during desperate times. but i am sure there is some type of legislation that would allow many rights to be suspended for the greater good. i can only assume that the powers that be, decided they did not want to go that far, and hoped people would willingly follow health guidelines instead. was that a mistake ? i guess we will have to wait many years for historians to decide.

 

[rmssetc]

To the people that say travel is reckless and selfish, irresponsible ect.... do you go out to dinner, do you go to the grocery store, the bank, your family members home? Serious question

Serious answers, from my personal experience since March 2020:

• Eating outdoors (despite state restrictions allowing some indoor dining) at selected locations: rarely, maybe 8~10x
  
• Grocery store: about 4 times (each on the way back from required work outside the home in my role as a critical employee in a medical research setting)
  
• The bank: what's that? Before COVID, I went into a bank less than once a year. Now, everything's on-line (including some complex transactions that formerly required hours in-person).
• Family member's homes: 3x, remaining outdoors, at a distance each time.

There's no question that all of that sucks. Not going on recreational travel sucks.

My own personal calculation is that discretionary contact isn't responsible -- to myself or others -- right now. Objectively, I believe I could travel to, say, Cozumel and dive for a week while minimizing my chance of infection....but I also believe that the stress, constant physical precautions, and knowledge of my selfishness would tremendously reduce my overall enjoyment, to the point where it's not worth it.

 

[rmssetc]

Lately, I've put local diving on hold as people are joking about staying off step ladders around here as hospitals are slammed to the limit.

Thank you for bringing up that secondary effect. I've skipped a fair amount of discretionary high-risk (non-diving, non-travel) activity that I enjoy, because if I went "boom" and had a non-COVID incident that requires medical care, that would put an additional burden on the overloaded clinical staff....and put me in the same [waiting area, building, procedure room] as COVID patients.

 

[tursiops]

Do you know that covid has 99.98% survival rate for people under 70?

Once again, you are missing the point. It is NOT just about the death rate. Jeez.

 

[Snoweman]

I have perused all of the responses, and wonder if I'm the only one in this forum that has already had Covid. I'm pissed I'm not able to travel internationally more after having it (and now having decent immunity). I think I should have a six month Get Out of Jail Free card for travel.