Introduction
Today, the whole world is concerned about the Corona virus Pandemic that took place in 2020, and the most important factor that has impacted our lives is the ability to travel around, being locked down in our homes.
Some countries have already tackled the situation, some are yet struggling the battles. But in a way, this virus has affected many sectors of our day to day life, and the most affected was our freedom- the freedom to travel.
To bring the situation under control and to minimize the damage that the virus caused, many countries imposed nationwide lock downs and curfews. Apart from human movements, the goods movements were also brought to a standstill, in some countries, so much as the essentials were also not been made available, and the most affected was the tourism sectors.
Now when the lock down phases are opening slowly, I see quite a lot annoying questions on social media.
Some frequently asked questions
Are hotels safe?
Is it safe to travel now?
Should I cancel my plans to travel for the immediate upcoming months?
On top of the scoop, there are news all over social media about destinations reopening for tourism.
Many countries like Vietnam, Maldives, Bali, Bermuda, France, Georgia, Spain etc, have considered reopening their borders for tourism after these months of imposed lock downs.
But the biggest question is, IS IT SAFE to travel yet?
Frankly speaking the answer is NOT YET. I'll tell you the reason why.
As of now in India, special inter-state trains have started, domestic flights too resumed in May 2020, but it is not the same as before for the obvious reasons shown in the news.
Travel rules and new restrictions
The rule sets have changed. Some of the many are
The masks and PPE sets are in. Web check in has become mandatory Human contacts have been minimized, and airports are trying to automatize things. You need to avail a Covid-19 health certificate before travelling. Quarantine rules are implied even if you travel domestically. In flight services are no longer allowed.
Many airlines, or states have different rules and regulations.
To check Government updates on Tourism in India, follow news on http://tourism.gov.in/
Even after imposing so many precautionary regulations, we have people who do not comply to these. We have heard cases that the police force has been attacked, the doctors were not safe, breaking lockdown rules were common few days before, even now.
Corona virus is for real, and the virus is rapidly mutating its existence fiercely in India. Even if the recovery rate is quite uphill in India, the virus hasn't yet much lost its potential to cause the damage.
Does this mean we cannot travel for the entire year now?
No absolutely not, we cannot live life without travelling.
Will we stay home forever?
Even if the government declares allowance to start tourism, it does not mean it is safe enough for you to do so, because government cannot individually take care of such a huge population. You have to take care of yourself, and you have to make decisions for yourselves now because lets face it, even after wearing PPE sets, Masks, sanitizing your hands frequently, there is going to be a moment when you unknowingly touch something, or there is going to be a moment when you are going to remove your masks to eat, also you do not know if what you eat is free from the virus.
There are going to be times when you touch your face unknowingly without sanitizing, and trust the virus, it's not going to wait for your realizations. One such moment is enough to get you infected. And who is to be blamed then?
Trusting people in these situations that they are not the carriers is a big time NO NO!!!
So, how do you decide for yourself if it is safe or not to travel? Try thinking of the situations for yourself, and try asking these 5 questions to yourself, and you will have your answer.
1. Is your impatience worth the reason that you look forward to travel?
2. Are you 100% sure about your own body's immunity to fight the virus cells? (with or without medications)
3. If you are infected, are you prepared financially, and are you sure you would know it and not become one of the reasons to spread ahead? Because getting tested and treated may cause holes to your wallet, and not everyone can afford it. Even if some hospitals are now considering free Covid-19 treatments, is it worth the mental pressure?
4. Quarantine procedures, are you prepared for it?
5. New rules and regulations are not normal for people, so there IS going to be fuss, and there IS going to be delay, can you deal with all this? The news showed there were long lines at the arrival of the airports, and for thermal checking
If there is at least a single NO to the above questions, the answer to your question - "IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL YET?" is A BIG NO
Then when can we travel?
Trust me, I as want to travel as soon as & as much as you, my readers, but just yet is not the correct time. Where you have been patient for so many months, try being patient for a little more time.
The good news is that the virus is slowly losing its strength to damage the human body, and the government in India is trying its best to help people recover. We have also seen many good news such as the rapidly increasing recovery rates, and a decrease in multiplying rates.
So, we are on the right track, and tourism is just round the corner, but not just YET.
All of us have done our best to comply to the rules, but we will have to co-operate for some more time, maybe a month or two more.
Will the Virus be gone?
No, as experts have said the virus is here to stay with us for a longer period of time than we imagined. But the good news is that the virus, with its spread, would loose its power to damage human body, and would soon be as good as a normal viral or flu infection. With time, our medical team has also figured a combination of several medicines which help fight the virus.
Along with loosing its power, people will also start getting accustomed with the new protective rules of sanitation, no contact rules, etc creating a lesser fuss, a lesser mess than what they are right now. With more and more people becoming aware of these new regulations, the day to day transactions would ease and consume lesser and lesser time.
Hence, in my best intuitions, I would say it would take only a maximum 2-3 months until the risks of travelling would reduce drastically. All we can do for now is keep our fingers crossed, hope the pandemic situation ends soon, and comply to our as well as our society's safety.
Stay Safe.
~Author
Narita Mahajan
