After three months of staying in lockdown, many states in the US have reopened businesses, offices, and schools as well as eased restrictions on traveling within the country, thus paving the way for life to become a little more like it was prior to the beginning of the coronavirus infection. However, many health agencies are prompting people to follow preventive guidelines even after lifting the lockdown.
Therefore, the most common question asked by the majority of the people is on how to stay safe even after the infection has been controlled to an extent as many still remain susceptible to it as well as how can one resume everyday life activities without a high risk of contracting coronavirus.
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For instance, with the easing on restrictions, a big portion of people has returned to work and public transport has been started once again but since the daily commute is a need of many, there is a higher risk of coronavirus spread in the subway, trains, and buses.
For this purpose, seating restrictions have been introduced so that fewer people can be present in a certain transport at a time and social distancing can be safely practiced which can significantly lower the chances of coronavirus spread in transport.
In addition, people are encouraged to follow preventive measures that they did during the lockdown such as wearing a mask, carrying hand sanitizers, avoid touching the face, and frequent hand washing. All of these can make a big difference and make it easy to use daily commute and engage in other activities.
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However, after a three months stressful lockdown, another major question by many Americans is whether going on a vacation and staying in rentals or hotels is a safe option.
Even if the risk of coronavirus spread during travel and on transport can be lowered by following preventive steps, the rest of the vacation may not be equally safe.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, long-distance travel is different from the daily commute and can increase the risk of catching the coronavirus infection. This is why the traveling industry in the US has also imposed restrictions on vacation.
Secondly, the Vacation Rental Management Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association have also encouraged people to follow the instructions while planning a vacation strictly.
However, even with increased steps for prevention, there is still a high risk of contracting the coronavirus if certain rules are not followed. For instance, even if a person books a good place for staying during the vacation after lockdown, chances can still remain if the place is not following the recommended public health policies.
Before booking, make sure to check the air quality and the cleanliness levels in the staying place as well as the place’s overall adjustment with the coronavirus pandemic. Additional things to keep in mind include going for places that have more non-contact alternatives such as digital locks and keys instead of traditional ones, and where skipping room service is possible.
In addition, carrying zip locks for personal belonging for keeping minimal contact with surfaces, specifically outside the rented staying place, as many of the surfaces can be easily contaminated with coronavirus, which can last for seventy-two hours on unanimated objects and surfaces according to research.
By following these steps, the chances of contracting coronavirus infection during vacation can be lowered but it should be kept in mind that traveling, in general, can elevate the risk and a person may catch the infection even after staying careful because of lack of social distancing at many places.
Therefore, think about all the pros and cons prior to finalizing a vacation after lockdown as it is better to prevent the infection in the first place instead of getting treated for it.