Travel in the Time of Covid 2.0

Happy Canada Day everyone!

Today we’re celebrating not just our country, but also the fact that European borders are opening up to certain countries. Canada included!

So we’re free to travel again right!?

Not exactly.

I know that a lot of us would love nothing more right now than to be able to escape quarantine and just go out for even a weekend. The thought of throwing our luggage onto a jet plane and ourselves with it to fly off somewhere fabulous is far too tempting.

Still, I must urge caution.

First of all, some airlines have already stated that they will be operating at full capacity. That means no social distancing whatsoever. Are you willing to wear a mask for the entirety of that flight? If you’re flying from England to Ireland, a trip that takes a little less than two hours, it might be fine. For a Canadian attempting to get anywhere other than the United States, that’s over five hours flight time. If you’re a Canadian you must also find another way home, because as of the date that this was published, you may not enter Canada by air.

The second thing I have to consider is that while we’re celebrating border openings there are quarantine laws that must be adhered to. Most of the countries I’ve looked at in the EU have a mandatory fourteen day quarantine period when you enter the country. Fourteen days is usually the amount of time I can afford to travel for. To be hunkered down in a hotel room, by myself, without being able to access food or medicine is an unsavory scenario at best.

Only once that 14 days is over can you then enjoy your vacation, with the restrictions on restaurants, parks, and other public places that the country you’re visiting has set out for it’s citizens.

Then, depending on where you live, you might have another quarantine ahead of you. Canada has enabled a Quarantine Act, which stipulates that upon your arrival or return you must quarantine for another fourteen days. From the minute you arrive you must go directly from your point of arrival to your quarantine, without stopping. You cannot go to school, work, or even out to get food. You must arrange to have everything brought to you in your home.

That adds up to a month of quarantine on either end of however long your trip is; one of which is going to be significantly more expensive because of hotels and takeout.

This is all if you manage to go, have your vacation, and come back without contracting Covid-19.

I must also mention that China and South Korea have also begun the ‘second wave’ of Coronavirus. For those of you who don’t study history I will keep this simple:

Global pandemics happen roughly every hundred years, and usually hit in three waves. The second wave is usually the worst of it. It’s why the WHO has been warning us not to reopen too quickly, and that the worst is yet to come. They’re not trying to scare us, they are trying to impress upon us the historical gravity of the situation.

So. Is the international travel worth it?

For me the answer is still no. Not only can I not afford to take a month off for a two week vacation, it’s simply not worth the effort to do so. I can watch k-dramas at home, I don’t need to be stuck in a South Korean hotel for the added atmosphere.

If you need more information I suggest, as always, getting the most current information directly from the source. Here are the links to the Canadian Government Website and to the World Health Organisation Website.

Wash your hands, wear your mask, and be safe gentle readers.