When summertime arrives, both children and adults are equally delighted to start getting ready to have fun between beaches and summer camps, where they can practice sports as well as intellectual games, and just forget the exhaustion of the school-year spent learning and accomplishing tough work.
However, can this summer routine be the same during the coronvirus pandemic? Can families travel to the beaches and enjoy nature? Or should they abide by the rules of social distancing and home quarantine to avoid infection?
To answer these questions, we will discuss in detail all the factors that may lead to the transmission of infection during traveling.
While Travelling
Several factors affect the chances of being infected while travelling; including the destination itself. It is better to know to what extent the outbreak has spread in the place you are travelling to, and it is recommended to choose a place with a low infection rate and to abide by the quarantine rules or the safety measures for that place. The means of transportation is also one of the most important factors that affect the possibility of getting infected; it differs from one means of transportation to another. Airplanes have low rates of infection because of the constant air filtering; however, it does not offer the privilege of social distancing among passengers, especially on crowded summer flights. The situation becomes more dangerous on buses and trains unless travel companies abide by leaving some empty seats between passengers. Traveling using a private car remains the best means of transportation, with constant sterilization of the steering wheel.
In the Water
It is good to know that water is a medium that does not transmit infection. As such, whether you like swimming in the open seas or closed swimming pools, know that the coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, is not transmitted through either. Moreover, the chlorine in swimming pools, even if in low concentration, eliminates the chances of the survival of this virus, even with the water coming into contact with the eyes or open wounds.
The People
Infected people impose the real risk of spreading the infection. It is well known that the transmission of droplets between people or touching surfaces contaminated with droplets carrying the virus, and then touching the eyes, nose, or mouth are the main cause of spreading COVID-19. That is why social distancing rules should be followed, especially when visiting crowded beaches. Here, it is necessary to wear masks and try to choose places where there are spaces separating families from each other.
Hygiene should also be maintained; you should frequently wash your hands and sterilize them with disinfectants, and you have to wear protective masks when visiting crowded markets, to avoid the risk of being infected from an infected person or a carrier of the virus.
Watch the following video to better visualize it: Are Swimming Pools and beaches safe during the COVID-19 pandemic
Swimming Gear
It is prefered that everyone travel with their personal tools and equipment. However, in case anyone has to rent a surfing board or goggles, they must be sterilized well with chlorine or other disinfectants before use, in order to avoid infection in case any droplets were sticking to them from the previous user.
Professionals see that going to beaches, parks, and outdoor areas is a much better option than spending time in coffee shops or crowded markets and closed places. With the necessary measures taken and personal hygiene rules followed, infection rates decrease, so we can enjoy summer and its activities safely, getting ready to start a new year.
References
health.clevelandclinic.org
nbcboston.com
Image: Freepick.com