Travel « Weekly Gravy

As more infectious coronavirus variants first detected in Britain and South Africa circulate globally, President Joe Biden plans to bar travel by non-citizens into the United States from South Africa. A White House official said Sunday that the South Africa travel ban would go into effect on Jan. 30 and that an existing ban would be extended on non-citizen travelers from Europe and Brazil, The New York Times reported. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned that the British coronavirus variant could become the dominant source of infections in the United States by March and would likely trigger surges in cases and deaths. As of Monday, the British variant has been detected in 22 states, the CDC reported. The agency has also announced a new policy that requires all arriving international air passengers, regardless of vaccination status, to be tested for the coronavirus within three days of their departure for the United States, and to provide written documentation of their test results or proof of having recovered from COVID-19. The South African coronavirus variant has yet to be detected in the United States, but small studies published last week show that it is less susceptible to antibodies created by natural infection or by vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna, which have both been authorized for emergency use in the United States, the… read on > read on >

Puffy coats have their place, but it’s not inside a car seat. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a variety of tips for keeping your little ones safe and warm while traveling by car. The first is to avoid dressing children in puffy coats or snowsuits before buckling them in, because car seat straps won’t tighten enough. That creates a danger that the fluffy padding will flatten in the force of a crash and the youngster will slip from the seat and be thrown from the car. Puffy coats are not safe in a car seat or under a seat belt for someone of any age, the AAP said. “Parents may not recognize the potential danger of buckling up a child who is wearing a puffy coat,” said Dr. Sarah Denny, a pediatrician with expertise in injury prevention. “A car seat harness or belt needs to fit snugly enough so that you cannot pinch the straps of the car seat harness. A safer alternative is to drape a blanket or coat over the car straps.” The AAP offers additional tips, including staying warmer by storing the carrier portion of an infant seat indoors and packing extra socks, mittens and hats. If your child likes to suck his or her thumb, choose half-gloves with open fingers. Dress your child in thin layers. This would include… read on > read on >

It might be tough to imagine jetting off to far-flung destinations right now, but new research shows that people who love to travel are happier than homebodies. Chun-Chu (Bamboo) Chen, an assistant professor in the School of Hospitality Business Management at Washington State University Vancouver, surveyed 500 people to find out why some travel more than others and if travel experiences affect happiness and well-being. He found that people who regularly travel at least 75 miles away from home were about 7% happier than those who rarely or don’t travel, the findings showed. “While things like work, family life and friends play a bigger role in overall reports of well-being, the accumulation of travel experiences does appear to have a small, yet noticeable, effect on self-reported life satisfaction,” Chen said in a university news release. “It really illustrates the importance of being able to get out of your routine and experience new things.” The report was published recently in the journal Tourism Analysis. “This research [also] shows the more people talk about and plan vacations, the more likely they are to take them,” Chen said. “If you are like me and chomping at the bit to get out of dodge and see someplace new, this research will hopefully be some additional good motivation to start planning your next vacation.” More information For more on well-being,… read on > read on >

Face masks and hand-washing are a good start, but to protect your kids from the coronavirus you’ll need to up your game on the road, too, a leading pediatricians’ group says. There are a number of things parents should do to protect children from COVID-19 infection when they’re traveling in cars or using other types of transportation, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). As always, children in vehicles should be properly restrained in an appropriate car safety seat, belt-positioning booster seat, travel vest or seat belt. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that surfaces be disinfected. However, disinfectant chemicals can weaken the strength of car safety seats and seat belts, possibly affecting their effectiveness in a crash, according to the academy. In most cases, all parts of car safety seats and vehicle seat belts can only be cleaned with mild detergent and water. Because car safety seats and seat belts can’t be disinfected, you should take other measures to prevent transmission of the coronavirus when children are in vehicles, the AAP advised. Those precautions include: physical/social distancing; using cloth face coverings; and hand hygiene. Parents and caregivers of children with special needs (such as compromised immune systems, tracheostomy tubes, or use of a wheelchair) must take the child’s specific needs into account when developing a transportation plan, the academy said… read on >

If you’re thinking about traveling this summer, you need to consider the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic, an expert says. Factors to think about include your age, your health and other people in your household. “The first question you should answer is whether you or a member of your household have a condition that increases the risk for developing COVID-19,” said Dr. Michael Chang, an assistant professor of pediatrics at University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and pediatric disease specialist at UT Physicians. People at increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness include those 65 and older and those with underlying health conditions. These folks might be safer if they avoid traveling. If you’re at higher risk and must travel, take extra precautions to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission, Chang advised. “Another thing to consider is the prevalence of the virus at your destination and how strictly you will be able to adhere to precautions such as social distancing during planned activities or excursions,” Chang said in a UT news release. You can check the spread of COVID-19 at your destination by using a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data tracker. It’s also important to find out about pandemic guidelines at your destination, because many areas have restrictions on activities or have particular rules. “Before you travel, you should also… read on >

A new cruise ship study suggests that the number of people who are infected with the new coronavirus but have no symptoms may be much higher than believed. More than 80% of those who tested positive for the infection had no symptoms, according to the study published online May 27 in the journal Thorax. The findings could be important as lockdown restrictions begin to be eased, and they highlight the need for accurate data on how many people worldwide have been infected, journal joint editor-in-chief Alan Smyth said in a linked blog. The study focused on a ship with 128 passengers and 95 crew that left Argentina in mid-March for a planned 21-day cruise of the Antarctic. The voyage began after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the new coronavirus a global pandemic. Passengers who in the previous three weeks had been in countries where coronavirus infection rates were high were not allowed to board. All passengers who were allowed to board had their temperature taken before embarkation, and the ship had numerous hand sanitizing stations, particularly in the dining room. After the first case of fever was reported on day 8 of the voyage, infection control measures were immediately implemented, including confining passengers to their cabins and the use of personal protective equipment by any crew member in contact with sick passengers. The… read on >

(American Heart Association News) — Since marrying in 2002, Doug Behan and Lise Deguire have gone on safari in Tanzania, watched the sunset over the Santorini caldera in the Greek Islands and walked through the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru. And those are just a few of their annual excursions. “It’s on my bucket list that I want to visit every continent,” Deguire said. Early this year, the Yardley, Pennsylvania, couple began planning a 12-day trip to Japan in March. But then news of COVID-19 began saturating the airwaves. By February, the couple made the difficult decision to cancel, instead booking a one-week trip to New Mexico. As the virus continued to spread even more, they nixed that, too, replacing it with a three-day retreat at a local spa. But on March 19, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses to close their physical locations. “That was pretty devastating,” Deguire said. “Travel makes me feel very alive, like living on the edge in a way that’s exciting and fulfilling.” It’s not just tourists who are canceling trips. North Carolina’s Outer Banks set up checkpoints to greet visitors, temporarily barring non-permanent residents and those without an entry permit. It’s one of several resort communities around the country, including Key West and California’s Mono County, which requested visitors stay away – sacrificing vital tourism dollars… read on >