Key precautions to be taken while travelling in Covid times.

 Key precautions to be taken while travelling in Covid times.

Since the outbreak of the Covid 19 pandemic, travelling has been restricted considerably. Many of us have cancelled and postponed travelling to our proposed dream destination or a preplanned short vacation. 

Be it for the purpose of a leisure trip, business tour,  academic excursions, weekend outing, holiday travel or attending the outstation celebration, we are tempted to escape from the solitary confinement of our home to our choicest destination.

However, the situation is still not conducive for care-less travelling even if you have got yourself vaccinated. We are still amidst the pandemic and it is not advisable to travel until and unless it is absolutely necessary or unavoidable.

Staying home is by far the most sensible and safest thing to do in this turbulent time. The more you travel the risk of getting infected and thus infecting others rises considerably.

In case if you have to travel, and it can neither be avoided nor postponed then you have to consider these factors before planning your visit.

#Have you or any of your family members, colleagues, business associates or close contacts attended any mass gathering like marriage ceremony, funerals, celebrations in the last two weeks?

#Are you prone to illness with the slightest of changes in atmospheric or weather conditions?

#What will be your mode of travelling, whether by air, road or by train.

#Are you at higher risk of any grave illness, or the person whom you are visiting has any chronic illness.

# Go through the government guidelines issued for Covid-19  of your home state/country and your destination state/country.

Precautions to be taken while travelling:

1.Avoid personal contact. Maintain a distance of 6 feet or 2 meters with the other person and yourself as much as you can. 

2.Avoid sharing items. Try not to share pen, newspaper or any other personal belongings with other co-passengers unless it is an emergency.

3.Maintain Hygiene. Do not spit, blow your nose, cough 

and sneeze openly and also stay away from the one who is not taking such precautions in crowded places.

4. Touch less.  Limit your contact with repeatedly touched surfaces such as elevator buttons, hand railings, doorknobs and window sills. 

5. Use Sanitiser. Use sanitiser as much as you can. Sanitise your hand after touching any surface or objects which is unavoidable.

6. Avoid restrooms. Public washrooms, loos and toilets are the breeding ground of bacteria and viruses. These areas have lots of microorganisms that are not visible to our naked eyes. Chocked or overflowing toilets are more vulnerable and susceptible to spreading germs.

8. Wipe Down your surroundings. Before taking a seat wipe down the base, armrest, tray table and the backrest of your seat with sanitising gel or the sanitising spray that you are carrying. Your sanitiser should have a minimum 60% of alcohol.

9.Wash hands Regularly. Wash your hand with soap for at least 20 to 30 seconds and rub your hands thoroughly and get it dry immediately.

10.Wear a mask. Continuous use of masks is of utmost necessity in crowded and public places. The mask should be a three-layer or use the double mask for better safety.

11.Avoiding queuing. Avoid queuing long hours at bus and train terminals for long hours. If there is too much of a crowd go for online booking or select a time which is non-peak hours.

12. Keep contact numbers. Always keep contact numbers of your family physician or your family members handy, if travelling alone so that you can immediately contact them while not feeling good or being unwell.

As the saying goes, Prevention is better than cure. Let's take as much precaution as we can to keep ourselves safe and maintain hygiene wherever we go. All of us need to abide by the rules and regulations framed by the local authorities and government in the right spirit and goodwill. Let's ensure we all try to keep our environment a  clean and safe place for our future generation and for the general well being of the public at large.