
What to know about travel and COVID-19
The global travel industry
has been in turmoil since
the outbreak of COVID-19
in December 2019.
Many would-be travelers,
including business travelers
and vacationers, canceled previously
planned trips or delayed
future travel plans in
the hopes of reducing their
risk of catching a virus that
CNN estimated had claimed
more than 4,000 lives across
the globe between December
2019 and mid-March 2020. According
to estimates from the
Global Business Travel Association,
business travel revenue
loss totaled $820 billion
across the globe through the
fi rst week of March 2020.
The International Air
Transport Association estimated
that global airlines
stood to lose $113 billion in
sales if the coronavirus continued
to spread, a decline in
sales that the industry has not
experienced since the global
fi nancial crisis of 2008.
That loss in revenue has
led many airlines and cruise
lines to decrease prices in an
effort to entice more people to
travel. However, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
COURIER L 22 IFE, SEPT. 18-24, 2020
note that travel could
be dangerous, particularly for
people with underlying health
conditions who intend to take
cruises.
As of March 2020, the CDC
was recommending that travelers
who fi t that criteria defer
all cruise ship travel. Cruises
place vast numbers of people in
frequent and close contact with
each other, conditions that can
promote the spread of respiratory
viruses like COVID-19.
The CDC notes that, due to
the way air is circulated and
fi ltered on airplanes, most viruses
and other germs do not
easily spread on airplanes.
However, those who want to err
on the side of caution should
discuss travel with their physicians,
including whether or
not it’s benefi cial to delay unnecessary
travel plans until
the threat of COVID-19 is minimized.
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Metro Creative Connection
Wellness