A Quick Recap of General Coronavirus Info to Start From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus so the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed. The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person. Everyone should wash your hands often, use at least 60% alcohol hand sanitizer when you cannot, avoid close contact (stay 6 feet apart), cover your mouth and nose with a face cover when around others, cover coughs and sneezes, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. A Few Important Reminders about Coronaviruses and Reducing Risk of Exposure (CDC): Normal routine cleaning with soap and water removes germs and dirt from surfaces and lowers the risk of Covid-19 infection. Disinfectants kill germs on surfaces. A mixture of 1/3 cup bleach in one gallon of water or 70% alcohol solutions also kill virus germs. Coronaviruses on various surfaces typically die within hours or days. Warmer temperatures, wind and sunlight will speed this process. From the World Health Organization: Coronavirus is an enveloped virus with a fragile outer lipid envelope that makes it more susceptible to disinfectants. In addition to regular cleaning and disinfecting new technologies are being tested to help reduce the potential of infection in hotels, airplanes and airports, cruise ships, and public settings. So how does all of this basic information relate to travel? Since the Coronavirus is mostly spread people to people through aerial droplets the biggest problems are crowded inside areas when you travel. If you are going to travel before a Covid-19 vaccine, you will have to protect yourself from exposure, as much as possible, as you travel through the world. You will need to be extra vigilant with all those basic things CDC and WHO have been preaching for months - wash hands, hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face and social distancing. The good news is it does not live very long outside a host and can be cleaned with bleach or other readily available disinfectants. This means that it will be possible to clean hotels, cruise ships, airplanes and airport terminals to make it safer to travel. The info can be applied to your trip preferences and operationally as you travel through the world. Public transportation is more of an issue because of the potential for lack of social distancing. Attractions and venues will hold less than capacity and you may need a reservation to eat in the best outdoor cafe’s along the way. We are still awaiting actual plans from our cruise lines to outline changes to make cruising Covid safe but we expect lower occupancies and modified buffets (if you are old enough, think of a cafeteria) from what we are hearing. How risky is it out there? I have not seen a lot of data about how much chance do I have of catching this if I travel through an area with community spread or a cluster? Remember it is most likely for me to acquire this disease by people to people spread of aerosol droplets. This is a rough calculation from what we are reading, but we have tried to use only reliable sources so let’s ask how risky is it out there? There are two ways to look at this. 1. The n rate or how many people is each infected person is going to communicate the virus to others. Covid appears to be an worldwide n rate of 2-2.5 meaning that I will infect 2 to 2.5 people if I get the virus (on average). Common flu is 1.3, noro virus is 1.6-3.7, zika is 3-6.6, HIV is 3.6 and measles is the worst with each person possibly infecting 11-18 people. That makes Coronavirus about twice as contagious as the common flu. 2. In the USA, we have about 330 million people and 1.7 million are diagnosed as having the virus which is about ½ of 1%. It seems also to be a pretty reliable number that about 45% (half for simplicity) of the people who get Covid-19 are asymptomatic (don’t show any symptoms) so we can roughly double that number to 1% of the population. Testing is a controversial subject so many people think we under or over counted. Since not everybody in the country is contagious at the same time it is safe to roughly hypothesize that you have a .5% to 2% chance of catching Coronavirus from each contact you make while traveling. Conversely, this means that as many as 98% of the people you come in contact with will NOT infect you. We can probably lower this by being Covid safe but could increase the number through careless interactions, misfortunate conveyance placement next to an asymptomatic person or passing through a “hot” destination or neighborhood while traveling. When I site this statistic, I want to say that new antibody testing is supporting 2-4% figures in the population overall but studies in NY have estimated as much as 21% of the population and a German study shows 15% have had antibodies meaning they already had the disease in the past. Worldwide, Corona only causes about 44.6 deaths per million people (about 4.5/100th of a percentage point) so you can also use that figure to quantify extreme risk, if you are in a high risk group. What does the science say about how do I minimize my chance of catching Covid while traveling? Some experts estimate that as few as 1000 SARS- CoV2 (technical name for Covid-19) infectious viral particles are all that will be needed to get a person sick but worse infections will stem from higher virus loads. A single cough can spread 3000 droplets traveling at 50 mph. A single sneeze 30,000 traveling at 200 mph. A single breath can be 50 to 5000 but they do not travel at high velocity so fall to the ground quickly and the droplets do not contain as much virus from the lower lungs but speaking does multiply the droplet count. Remember the formula for infection as 1000+ = number of droplets x time of exposure as viral load can be cumulative. You don’t want to be inside with a group of people for a long length of time so even if you get quick exposure you won’t get enough viral load to get sick. From Tampa Bay Times, good concise advice from Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida. “I think the point here is to be prepared and to minimize your risk, and don’t be totally dependent on luck.” Practically to apply this to travel, you probably will not get Covid 19 from passing somebody on a street or an airport terminal as the contact is only for a moment and droplets are dispersed. Sit next to them waiting for a plane and your chances are increased if they are coughing or sneezing and you don’t relocate away from an infected person. If you eat dinner inside a restaurant with an asymptomatic sick person nearby you are more likely to be exposed because dinner in a fine dining restaurant can take 90 minutes or 2 hours (X=exposure x time). Air conditioning systems can blow the droplets around if you are downwind, but many systems also have UV or Hepa filters so they can also take droplets out of the air. You cannot catch Covid-19 by eating particles, they have to infect your lungs but you can touch a plate or table infected by the last diner and then touch your face to facilitate transmission. Outdoor restaurants and take away are healthier if you can find a public outdoor space to eat your food or a picnic at your hotel. Public transport has more exposure than private car transfers if a single driver wears a mask because you have multiple people exhaling on a bus or a subway. Reduce touchpoints at the airport as much as possible by traveling with snacks and reading material. Try to check in as much as possible prior to arrival at the airport and leave enough time for connections so you can avoid choke points, even if you have to wait for a crowd to clear. Many hotels offer electronic check-in and we can prepay attraction tickets so you don’t have to wait in line for purchase. Your travel agent is thinking about this kind of stuff for your next vacation as our reaction to Covid-19 evolves we make it our business to help keep you safe. What about cloth masks and N-95 respirators? From Science Magazine: Despite messages from some health officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection, says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist. Both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators have been shown to prevent various respiratory infections in health care workers. The greatest benefit of masking the masses, Cowling and others argue, likely comes not from shielding the mouths of the healthy but from covering the mouths of people already infected. People who feel ill aren’t supposed to go out at all, but initial evidence suggests people without symptoms may also transmit the coronavirus without knowing they’re infected. Data suggest nearly half of transmissions occur before the infected person shows symptoms. And some seem to contract and clear the virus without ever feeling sick. The FDA indicates N95 respirators and surgical masks (face masks) are examples of personal protective equipment that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face.  It is important to recognize that the optimal way to prevent airborne transmission is to use a combination of interventions from across the hierarchy of controls, not just PPE alone. These are in short supply still and can be hard for the traveling public to be able to wear for long lengths of time. From what we know now; I could be walking around feeling fine and make you sick and vice versa. Because of this, governments and transportation vendors will require face coverings in many instances to keep everyone safer in tighter environments. Right now because of lack of availability and problems fitting N-95 masks they should be considered only if you have underlying health conditions and have to travel. Some type of comfortable cloth covering should be part of your travel “uniform” in the near future. As you move through the world, you only have a small chance of coming in contact with virus particles so you need to be vigilant and be patient so you can socially distance even when others enter your space. You also have to honestly evaluate your personal condition and decide how much risk you want to take, right now, depending on your age, health and other factors. I know I will still travel but I will learn to travel differently and maybe to different places until this thing is solved. Bottom line? Adherance to those CDC guidelines wash hands, hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face, social distancing and avoiding enclosed spaces where you cannot social distance should be set on maximum high while traveling. OK, what about my hotel room, cruise ship cabin or private rental accommodation when I get to the destination? We are starting to see plans from hotel chains about sanitation. The first two I saw were Sandals/Beaches Resorts and Marriott International but more have come out as we researched this white paper. I need to start by defining a few terms: What is a touchpoint? Elevator buttons, car door handles, entry door handles, hotel check in counters, hotel light switches, and especially tv remote controls (supposedly the dirtiest thing in the hotel room, even before Coronavirus). Travelers need to be aware of touchpoints and try to hit as few as possible, use a glove or a tissue to push buttons and pull busy door handles plus wash hands or hand sanitize after touching them. From everything I have read, public bathrooms are the biggest problem and they are necessary when traveling through the world. Hotels, airlines, cruise ships, bus tour operators and other vendors will need to concentrate on identification and regular cleaning of these touchpoints. What is an electrostatic sprayer? They work by electronically charging liquids such as cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectant as they pass through a sprayer nozzle. This generates charged droplets that repel one another and actively seek out environmental surfaces which they stick to and even wrap around to coat all sides. Because the particles in the spray are positively charged, they cling to and coat any surface they are aimed at. The kill time is about is about two minutes for bacteria and under two minutes for viruses. What are Ultraviolet LED’s? UV-C light could be integrated into systems that turn on when no one is present. There are also now USB UV Light Sanitizer Travel Wands for portable use. This compact handheld UV sanitizing wand has LED bulbs that create enough UV-C light to kill off viruses and bacteria in a matter of seconds. It’s an ideal size for sweeping over doorknobs or other smaller surfaces often shared by many hands. These can be dangerous if used incorrectly it can cause burns to the skin or retina of your eyes but fairly safe is used correctly. What is HVAC? Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems are being studied and enhanced to protect and filter the indoor air. HEPA Filters are very effective, certified to capture 99% of particles. HVAC systems can actually use HEPA filters and internal UV light to constantly kill virus in the air. What is hypochlorous acid? Hypochlorous acid is the most effective disinfectant in the chlorine family available in dilute solution. It is suggested that HOCL is 80 to 120 times more efficacious than sodium hypochlorite (bleach). Because HOCL has no charge and has a relatively low molecular weight it is better able than the other chlorine based disinfectants to penetrate virus cell walls. This chemical can be made from salt water via electrolysis. How is all this stuff practical to travel? Let me use the Sandals/Beaches Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness as an example. Sandals has examined 18 touch points from the airport lounge to your room which will all be sanitized. Public areas need to be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Guest rooms will use hospital grade disinfectants, electrical aerosol sprayers between guests and use UV-LED lighting equipment to kill germs. The resorts will have “at home to in room online check in”. Social distancing will be built into the process from transportation to restaurants. As it is Sandals, only one couple per elevator and Beaches is only one family per elevator at a time. Handshakes are being replaced with a wink and a nod. This is punctuated by their rigorous team training including masks and gloves when serving guests. Cheers to Butch and the Family as this is a good plan and your Caribbean resorts are a nonstop flight from Florida. Social distancing with your family or significant other on the most beautiful Caribbean white sand beaches? We definitely handle bookings for Sandals and Beaches Resorts including airfare. The first cruise line to come out with a post Covid sailing plan is American Cruise Lines. They are smaller ships that sail USA waterways. American Cruise Lines reduced capacity by 25% and closing public rest rooms. As they are smaller ships, they are asking everyone to use individual cabin bathrooms while onboard. They also offer touchless boarding but have “one way” walking “movement patterns” onboard. Restaurants will only use tables once for each meal to allow for disinfection and room service is readily available along with an outdoor café. They offer a disposable cover on the TV remote, comply with CDC sanitization guidelines, list the touchpoints and as a high end product offer private car transport and medical testing tents prior to boarding. As a ship, they have also mentioned that they have an outbreak management plan including isolation rooms from the 25% empty including Covid quick test kits onboard. As this is an American flagged vessel, it is sailing to American ports and on American rivers so there is no fear of repatriation problems. Shore excursions, venues and direct busses will have lower density but they may need to go to multiple departure times on some ports. We handle bookings for American Cruise Lines. These are selling pretty heavily since they are USA but space is still available for most of the itineraries they run in summer and fall 2020 or 2021. We can handle airfare, cars, Amtrak and pre or post hotel stays. June 3, 2020 - Norwegian Cruise Line NCL announced the initial plan being discussed wtih CDC to return to sailing. Every ship will staff a public health officer position with oversight of all sanitation and outbreak-prevention initiatives. To allow for physical distancing NCL will reduce passenger capacity plus limit guest counts in public areas and onboard activities. Tempurature checks will be implemented at boarding, upon return from ports of call and prior to meals. Buffets and beverage stations will be full-service with staff available to serve guests. All cabins, suites and public areas will be cleaned, sanitized and disinfected at an increased frequency. It will use electrostatic sprayers to fog staterooms and public areas with hypochlorous acid and install H13 HEPA medical grade air filters that can remove 99.5% of airborne pathogens. Rapid Covid-19 Testing kits and more medical oxygen equipment will be carried onboard along with isolation accommodations should be need arise. Of course if we travel by our own car in the USA, we can social distance with only our family but what if you travel by airplane? Surprisingly, airplanes are pretty good at fighting virus, but only if you are careful. To start with the airplane, the actual plane is divided into groups of seats that have their own HVAC system. This means your risk is cut down to 7 -12 rows and inside air is exchanged with outside air 12-15 times per hour. Airplane HEPA filters remove 99.97% of particulates so they can filter Covid-19 droplets. Touch points and sick people can be the problem with Covid-19 on an airplane. Wipe down everything when you get to the seat with disinfectant wipes including the air vent but the forced air coming out of that vent is your friend as the HEPA filter is the last thing it goes through, so it should be clean air in theory. I recently participated in a public radio forum with the CEO of Frontier and heard Southwest’s CEO speaking recently. They are fogging the planes at night with stuff that kills germs for 24 hours, deep cleaning and comfortable with in-flight HVAC systems plus they have very tight crew procedures, so I was surprised to learn that environment (including the airport) is pretty easy to enforce procedures and sanitizing protocols. Most airlines and airports are requiring cloth masks to reduce airborne particles from asymptomatic people. I am also thinking that you should be able to monitor your temperature regularly as everybody is taking temps with noninvasive thermometers everywhere! Airport shops and food outlets may be closed so if you are traveling with food, put it in a clear plastic bag so you can remove it for a bin. Clear plastic bags will keep TSA hands off of your stuff in case of a search. Boarding patterns will be different so pay attention and social distance until called. Initially, we like the plans we have received from major resort chains so our initial plan involves chain hotels. We expect that all major hotel chains will come up with CDC / WHO guided plans that will be similar with hospital grade disinfectants, UV light disinfectant and touchpoint cleaning. These will be provided to hotel franchises that actually operate the hotels so they operate within the guidance. Smaller locally owned hotels may also be a good choice but they will be more hit or miss. If you went there for years and it was always clean, they will probably be more vigilant cleaning for Covid. Low end 1-2 star hotels whether part of a chain or not, always had sketchy cleaning practices and may be problematic in a time of Covid. It is a joke in the hotel industry that many 1 or 2 star hotels “eyeball” the sheets to see if they need to be changed so you are risking your health if you travel at that low level in a Covid environment. What about Airbnb or VRBO “sharing” accommodations? These are all individually owned (and cleaned) so results could vary widely depending on the owner’s view of the situation and whether they are using contract cleaning crews, the owner is cleaning or following Airbnb guidelines for cleaning. Same with apartments. Some are run by large companies that specialize in corporate managed apartments which will probably have strong sanitary protocols. Other apartments run in an ad-hoc fashion with low priced contract cleaning services, not so much The headline “A Paramedic’s 7 Essentials for a Covid-19 Travel Kit” caught my attention in a recent trade publication. Steve Weinstein is a paramedic and also the Medical Operations Supervisor for Global Rescue. This is reprinted from travelpulse.com 1. Masks. Each person should have a few spares. 2. Hand sanitizer 60-70% alcohol. 3. Disinfectant wipes with bleach or hydrogen peroxside based cleanser. 4. Isopropyl wipes to clean phone and other electronic gadgets. 5. Travel laundry detergent to wash cloth masks. 6. Travel thermometer. 7. Digital oximeter ($30 to $50). Any saturation below 94% is concerning. We have tried to take a white paper approach to this subject as information is important so our clients can evaluate traveling again. A terrible virus has kept us at home but the worst part is the fear of the unknown. This page is an attempt to present facts that alleviate some of that unknown. We are learning more by the day about the Novel Coronavirus. The experts feel reasonably sure that we will have treatments soon. There is hope for a vaccine in 2021 as the whole world is chasing the same goal but coronaviruses in general have been elusive with respect to vaccinations. The common cold, SARS, MERS and HIV are all Coronavirus variations and none have an effective vaccine even though they all have effective treatments. We are hopeful as bioscience has come light years recently (look at cancer treatments) so hopes are high that we’ll have an answer by early to middle of 2021. Until this is gone, we will make advising you about Covid safe travel part of our business. It is why we have researched this subject and will continue to follow all public health info as it relates to travel. You can book your next trip in a variety of ways but your travel agent understands this stuff and will be here if you have to change your plans as the worldwide landscape changes for the virus. Traveling will definitely be more complicated until this is over. Moving from place to place will require a solid travel plan and that is what travel agencies do. BOOK WITH OUR TRAVEL AGENCY It seems reasonable to assume that you might travel in the next few months to two years before that vaccine is in wide distribution. Others of you because of underlying medical conditions may be calling us the day you get that vaccination and we will still be here. While we cannot make the go or no go decision for you we are always available to discuss travel destinations, forms of transportation, border openings/closings at all times with clients to help you make the decision that is right for you. As we have been in the travel business for 34 years we feel more confident as we learn more but also more humble as we have watched the viral progression sweep the globe. We will apply what we learn as time goes by to the travel industry, along with our vendors. We will continue to digest more specifics about various forms of travel and destinations as they hit our email stream daily. I want to make note the latest update on this page is June 5, 2020. This information will change as we learn more about how to live and travel with Coronavirus. All photos copyright John Rice. Further Reading that we used to prepare this web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/community/pdf/Reopening_America_Guidance.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting- sick/prevention.html https://www.who.int/publications-detail/cleaning-and-disinfection-of- environmental-surfaces-inthe-context-of-covid-19 https://www.sandals.com/cleanliness-protocols/ https://www.americancruiselines.com/about-us/covid-19-operating- protocol https://news.marriott.com/news/2020/03/10/marriott-international- statement-on-cleaning-protocols https://info.amresorts.com/cleancomplete https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200414173251.htm https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal- shopper/2020/04/02/these-uv-sanitizers-can-kill-off-bacteria-and- viruses-including-the-coronavirus-that-caused-covid-19 https://www.consumerreports.org/air-purifiers/what-to-know-about- air-purifiers-and-coronavirus/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/05/15/coronavirus -hotel-stays-amid-pandemic-hilton-marriot/3116217001/ https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them https://www.erinbromage.com/post/flying-in-the-age-of-covid-19 https://www.hypochlorousacid.com/

A Quick Recap of General Coronavirus Info to Start From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus so the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed. The virus is spread mainly from person-to-person. Everyone should wash your hands often, use at least 60% alcohol hand sanitizer when you cannot, avoid close contact (stay 6 feet apart), cover your mouth and nose with a face cover when around others, cover coughs and sneezes, avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth. A Few Important Reminders about Coronaviruses and Reducing Risk of Exposure (CDC): Normal routine cleaning with soap and water removes germs and dirt from surfaces and lowers the risk of Covid-19 infection. Disinfectants kill germs on surfaces. A mixture of 1/3 cup bleach in one gallon of water or 70% alcohol solutions also kill virus germs. Coronaviruses on various surfaces typically die within hours or days. Warmer temperatures, wind and sunlight will speed this process. From the World Health Organization: Coronavirus is an enveloped virus with a fragile outer lipid envelope that makes it more susceptible to disinfectants. In addition to regular cleaning and disinfecting new technologies are being tested to help reduce the potential of infection in hotels, airplanes and airports, cruise ships, and public settings. So how does all of this basic information relate to travel? Since the Coronavirus is mostly spread people to people through aerial droplets the biggest problems are crowded inside areas when you travel. If you are going to travel before a Covid-19 vaccine, you will have to protect yourself from exposure, as much as possible, as you travel through the world. You will need to be extra vigilant with all those basic things CDC and WHO have been preaching for months - wash hands, hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face and social distancing. The good news is it does not live very long outside a host and can be cleaned with bleach or other readily available disinfectants. This means that it will be possible to clean hotels, cruise ships, airplanes and airport terminals to make it safer to travel. The info can be applied to your trip preferences and operationally as you travel through the world. Public transportation is more of an issue because of the potential for lack of social distancing. Attractions and venues will hold less than capacity and you may need a reservation to eat in the best outdoor cafe’s along the way. We are still awaiting actual plans from our cruise lines to outline changes to make cruising Covid safe but we expect lower occupancies and modified buffets (if you are old enough, think of a cafeteria) from what we are hearing. How risky is it out there? I have not seen a lot of data about how much chance do I have of catching this if I travel through an area with community spread or a cluster? Remember it is most likely for me to acquire this disease by people to people spread of aerosol droplets. This is a rough calculation from what we are reading, but we have tried to use only reliable sources so let’s ask how risky is it out there? There are two ways to look at this. 1. The n rate or how many people is each infected person is going to communicate the virus to others. Covid appears to be an worldwide n rate of 2-2.5 meaning that I will infect 2 to 2.5 people if I get the virus (on average). Common flu is 1.3, noro virus is 1.6-3.7, zika is 3-6.6, HIV is 3.6 and measles is the worst with each person possibly infecting 11-18 people. That makes Coronavirus about twice as contagious as the common flu. 2. In the USA, we have about 330 million people and 1.7 million are diagnosed as having the virus which is about ½ of 1%. It seems also to be a pretty reliable number that about 45% (half for simplicity) of the people who get Covid-19 are asymptomatic (don’t show any symptoms) so we can roughly double that number to 1% of the population. Testing is a controversial subject so many people think we under or over counted. Since not everybody in the country is contagious at the same time it is safe to roughly hypothesize that you have a .5% to 2% chance of catching Coronavirus from each contact you make while traveling. Conversely, this means that as many as 98% of the people you come in contact with will NOT infect you. We can probably lower this by being Covid safe but could increase the number through careless interactions, misfortunate conveyance placement next to an asymptomatic person or passing through a “hot” destination or neighborhood while traveling. When I site this statistic, I want to say that new antibody testing is supporting 2-4% figures in the population overall but studies in NY have estimated as much as 21% of the population and a German study shows 15% have had antibodies meaning they already had the disease in the past. Worldwide, Corona only causes about 44.6 deaths per million people (about 4.5/100th of a percentage point) so you can also use that figure to quantify extreme risk, if you are in a high risk group. What does the science say about how do I minimize my chance of catching Covid while traveling? Some experts estimate that as few as 1000 SARS-CoV2 (technical name for Covid-19) infectious viral particles are all that will be needed to get a person sick but worse infections will stem from higher virus loads. A single cough can spread 3000 droplets traveling at 50 mph. A single sneeze 30,000 traveling at 200 mph. A single breath can be 50 to 5000 but they do not travel at high velocity so fall to the ground quickly and the droplets do not contain as much virus from the lower lungs but speaking does multiply the droplet count. Remember the formula for infection as 1000+ = number of droplets x time of exposure as viral load can be cumulative. You don’t want to be inside with a group of people for a long length of time so even if you get quick exposure you won’t get enough viral load to get sick. From Tampa Bay Times, good concise advice from Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida. “I think the point here is to be prepared and to minimize your risk, and don’t be totally dependent on luck.” Practically to apply this to travel, you probably will not get Covid 19 from passing somebody on a street or an airport terminal as the contact is only for a moment and droplets are dispersed. Sit next to them waiting for a plane and your chances are increased if they are coughing or sneezing and you don’t relocate away from an infected person. If you eat dinner inside a restaurant with an asymptomatic sick person nearby you are more likely to be exposed because dinner in a fine dining restaurant can take 90 minutes or 2 hours (X=exposure x time). Air conditioning systems can blow the droplets around if you are downwind, but many systems also have UV or Hepa filters so they can also take droplets out of the air. You cannot catch Covid-19 by eating particles, they have to infect your lungs but you can touch a plate or table infected by the last diner and then touch your face to facilitate transmission. Outdoor restaurants and take away are healthier if you can find a public outdoor space to eat your food or a picnic at your hotel. Public transport has more exposure than private car transfers if a single driver wears a mask because you have multiple people exhaling on a bus or a subway. Reduce touchpoints at the airport as much as possible by traveling with snacks and reading material. Try to check in as much as possible prior to arrival at the airport and leave enough time for connections so you can avoid choke points, even if you have to wait for a crowd to clear. Many hotels offer electronic check-in and we can prepay attraction tickets so you don’t have to wait in line for purchase. Your travel agent is thinking about this kind of stuff for your next vacation as our reaction to Covid-19 evolves we make it our business to help keep you safe. What about cloth masks and N-95 respirators? From Science Magazine: Despite messages from some health officials to the contrary, it’s likely that a mask can help protect a healthy wearer from infection, says Benjamin Cowling, an epidemiologist. Both surgical masks and the more protective N95 respirators have been shown to prevent various respiratory infections in health care workers. The greatest benefit of masking the masses, Cowling and others argue, likely comes not from shielding the mouths of the healthy but from covering the mouths of people already infected. People who feel ill aren’t supposed to go out at all, but initial evidence suggests people without symptoms may also transmit the coronavirus without knowing they’re infected. Data suggest nearly half of transmissions occur before the infected person shows symptoms. And some seem to contract and clear the virus without ever feeling sick. The FDA indicates N95 respirators and surgical masks (face masks) are examples of personal protective equipment that are used to protect the wearer from airborne particles and from liquid contaminating the face.  It is important to recognize that the optimal way to prevent airborne transmission is to use a combination of interventions from across the hierarchy of controls, not just PPE alone. These are in short supply still and can be hard for the traveling public to be able to wear for long lengths of time. From what we know now; I could be walking around feeling fine and make you sick and vice versa. Because of this, governments and transportation vendors will require face coverings in many instances to keep everyone safer in tighter environments. Right now because of lack of availability and problems fitting N-95 masks they should be considered only if you have underlying health conditions and have to travel. Some type of comfortable cloth covering should be part of your travel “uniform” in the near future. As you move through the world, you only have a small chance of coming in contact with virus particles so you need to be vigilant and be patient so you can socially distance even when others enter your space. You also have to honestly evaluate your personal condition and decide how much risk you want to take, right now, depending on your age, health and other factors. I know I will still travel but I will learn to travel differently and maybe to different places until this thing is solved. Bottom line? Adherance to those CDC guidelines wash hands, hand sanitizer, don’t touch your face, social distancing and avoiding enclosed spaces where you cannot social distance should be set on maximum high while traveling. OK, what about my hotel room, cruise ship cabin or private rental accommodation when I get to the destination? We are starting to see plans from hotel chains about sanitation. The first two I saw were Sandals/Beaches Resorts and Marriott International but more have come out as we researched this white paper. I need to start by defining a few terms: What is a touchpoint? Elevator buttons, car door handles, entry door handles, hotel check in counters, hotel light switches, and especially tv remote controls (supposedly the dirtiest thing in the hotel room, even before Coronavirus). Travelers need to be aware of touchpoints and try to hit as few as possible, use a glove or a tissue to push buttons and pull busy door handles plus wash hands or hand sanitize after touching them. From everything I have read, public bathrooms are the biggest problem and they are necessary when traveling through the world. Hotels, airlines, cruise ships, bus tour operators and other vendors will need to concentrate on identification and regular cleaning of these touchpoints. What is an electrostatic sprayer? They work by electronically charging liquids such as cleaners, sanitizers and disinfectant as they pass through a sprayer nozzle. This generates charged droplets that repel one another and actively seek out environmental surfaces which they stick to and even wrap around to coat all sides. Because the particles in the spray are positively charged, they cling to and coat any surface they are aimed at. The kill time is about is about two minutes for bacteria and under two minutes for viruses. What are Ultraviolet LED’s? UV-C light could be integrated into systems that turn on when no one is present. There are also now USB UV Light Sanitizer Travel Wands for portable use. This compact handheld UV sanitizing wand has LED bulbs that create enough UV-C light to kill off viruses and bacteria in a matter of seconds. It’s an ideal size for sweeping over doorknobs or other smaller surfaces often shared by many hands. These can be dangerous if used incorrectly it can cause burns to the skin or retina of your eyes but fairly safe is used correctly. What is HVAC? Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems are being studied and enhanced to protect and filter the indoor air. HEPA Filters are very effective, certified to capture 99% of particles. HVAC systems can actually use HEPA filters and internal UV light to constantly kill virus in the air. What is hypochlorous acid? Hypochlorous acid is the most effective disinfectant in the chlorine family available in dilute solution. It is suggested that HOCL is 80 to 120 times more efficacious than sodium hypochlorite (bleach). Because HOCL has no charge and has a relatively low molecular weight it is better able than the other chlorine based disinfectants to penetrate virus cell walls. This chemical can be made from salt water via electrolysis. How is all this stuff practical to travel? Let me use the Sandals/Beaches Platinum Protocols of Cleanliness as an example. Sandals has examined 18 touch points from the airport lounge to your room which will all be sanitized. Public areas need to be cleaned and sanitized regularly. Guest rooms will use hospital grade disinfectants, electrical aerosol sprayers between guests and use UV-LED lighting equipment to kill germs. The resorts will have “at home to in room online check in”. Social distancing will be built into the process from transportation to restaurants. As it is Sandals, only one couple per elevator and Beaches is only one family per elevator at a time. Handshakes are being replaced with a wink and a nod. This is punctuated by their rigorous team training including masks and gloves when serving guests. Cheers to Butch and the Family as this is a good plan and your Caribbean resorts are a nonstop flight from Florida. Social distancing with your family or significant other on the most beautiful Caribbean white sand beaches? We definitely handle bookings for Sandals and Beaches Resorts including airfare. The first cruise line to come out with a post Covid sailing plan is American Cruise Lines. They are smaller ships that sail USA waterways. American Cruise Lines reduced capacity by 25% and closing public rest rooms. As they are smaller ships, they are asking everyone to use individual cabin bathrooms while onboard. They also offer touchless boarding but have “one way” walking “movement patterns” onboard. Restaurants will only use tables once for each meal to allow for disinfection and room service is readily available along with an outdoor café. They offer a disposable cover on the TV remote, comply with CDC sanitization guidelines, list the touchpoints and as a high end product offer private car transport and medical testing tents prior to boarding. As a ship, they have also mentioned that they have an outbreak management plan including isolation rooms from the 25% empty including Covid quick test kits onboard. As this is an American flagged vessel, it is sailing to American ports and on American rivers so there is no fear of repatriation problems. Shore excursions, venues and direct busses will have lower density but they may need to go to multiple departure times on some ports. We handle bookings for American Cruise Lines. These are selling pretty heavily since they are USA but space is still available for most of the itineraries they run in summer and fall 2020 or 2021. We can handle airfare, cars, Amtrak and pre or post hotel stays. June 3, 2020 - Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings NCL announced the initial plan being discussed wtih CDC to return to sailing. Every ship will staff a public health officer position with oversight of all sanitation and outbreak- prevention initiatives. To allow for physical distancing NCL will reduce passenger capacity plus limit guest counts in public areas and onboard activities. Tempurature checks will be implemented at boarding, upon return from ports of call and prior to meals. Buffets and beverage stations will be full-service with staff available to serve guests. All cabins, suites and public areas will be cleaned, sanitized and disinfected at an increased frequency. It will use electrostatic sprayers to fog staterooms and public areas with hypochlorous acid and install H13 HEPA medical grade air filters that can remove 99.5% of airborne pathogens. Rapid Covid-19 Testing kits and more medical oxygen equipment will be carried onboard along with isolation accommodations should be need arise. Of course if we travel by our own car in the USA, we can social distance with only our family but what if you travel by airplane? Surprisingly, airplanes are pretty good at fighting virus, but only if you are careful. To start with the airplane, the actual plane is divided into groups of seats that have their own HVAC system. This means your risk is cut down to 7 -12 rows and inside air is exchanged with outside air 12-15 times per hour. Airplane HEPA filters remove 99.97% of particulates so they can filter Covid-19 droplets. Touch points and sick people can be the problem with Covid-19 on an airplane. Wipe down everything when you get to the seat with disinfectant wipes including the air vent but the forced air coming out of that vent is your friend as the HEPA filter is the last thing it goes through, so it should be clean air in theory. I recently participated in a public radio forum with the CEO of Frontier and heard Southwest’s CEO speaking recently. They are fogging the planes at night with stuff that kills germs for 24 hours, deep cleaning and comfortable with in-flight HVAC systems plus they have very tight crew procedures, so I was surprised to learn that environment (including the airport) is pretty easy to enforce procedures and sanitizing protocols. Most airlines and airports are requiring cloth masks to reduce airborne particles from asymptomatic people. I am also thinking that you should be able to monitor your temperature regularly as everybody is taking temps with noninvasive thermometers everywhere! Airport shops and food outlets may be closed so if you are traveling with food, put it in a clear plastic bag so you can remove it for a bin. Clear plastic bags will keep TSA hands off of your stuff in case of a search. Boarding patterns will be different so pay attention and social distance until called. Initially, we like the plans we have received from major resort chains so our initial plan involves chain hotels. We expect that all major hotel chains will come up with CDC / WHO guided plans that will be similar with hospital grade disinfectants, UV light disinfectant and touchpoint cleaning. These will be provided to hotel franchises that actually operate the hotels so they operate within the guidance. Smaller locally owned hotels may also be a good choice but they will be more hit or miss. If you went there for years and it was always clean, they will probably be more vigilant cleaning for Covid. Low end 1-2 star hotels whether part of a chain or not, always had sketchy cleaning practices and may be problematic in a time of Covid. It is a joke in the hotel industry that many 1 or 2 star hotels “eyeball” the sheets to see if they need to be changed so you are risking your health if you travel at that low level in a Covid environment. What about Airbnb or VRBO “sharing” accommodations? These are all individually owned (and cleaned) so results could vary widely depending on the owner’s view of the situation and whether they are using contract cleaning crews, the owner is cleaning or following Airbnb guidelines for cleaning. Same with apartments. Some are run by large companies that specialize in corporate managed apartments which will probably have strong sanitary protocols. Other apartments run in an ad-hoc fashion with low priced contract cleaning services, not so much. The headline “A Paramedic’s 7 Essentials for a Covid-19 Travel Kit” caught my attention in a recent trade publication. Steve Weinstein is a paramedic and also the Medical Operations Supervisor for Global Rescue. This is reprinted from travelpulse.com 1. Masks. Each person should have a few spares. 2. Hand sanitizer 60-70% alcohol. 3. Disinfectant wipes with bleach or hydrogen peroxside based cleanser. 4. Isopropyl wipes to clean phone and other electronic gadgets. 5. Travel laundry detergent to wash cloth masks. 6. Travel thermometer. 7. Digital oximeter ($30 to $50). Any saturation below 94% is concerning. We have tried to take a white paper approach to this subject as information is important so our clients can evaluate traveling again. A terrible virus has kept us at home but the worst part is the fear of the unknown. This page is an attempt to present facts that alleviate some of that unknown. We are learning more by the day about the Novel Coronavirus. The experts feel reasonably sure that we will have treatments soon. There is hope for a vaccine in 2021 as the whole world is chasing the same goal but coronaviruses in general have been elusive with respect to vaccinations. The common cold, SARS, MERS and HIV are all Coronavirus variations and none have an effective vaccine even though they all have effective treatments. We are hopeful as bioscience has come light years recently (look at cancer treatments) so hopes are high that we’ll have an answer by early to middle of 2021. Until this is gone, we will make advising you about Covid safe travel part of our business. It is why we have researched this subject and will continue to follow all public health info as it relates to travel. You can book your next trip in a variety of ways but your travel agent understands this stuff and will be here if you have to change your plans as the worldwide landscape changes for the virus. Traveling will definitely be more complicated until this is over. Moving from place to place will require a solid travel plan and that is what travel agencies do. BOOK WITH OUR TRAVEL AGENCY It seems reasonable to assume that you might travel in the next few months to two years before that vaccine is in wide distribution. Others of you because of underlying medical conditions may be calling us the day you get that vaccination and we will still be here. While we cannot make the go or no go decision for you we are always available to discuss travel destinations, forms of transportation, border openings/closings at all times with clients to help you make the decision that is right for you. As we have been in the travel business for 34 years we feel more confident as we learn more but also more humble as we have watched the viral progression sweep the globe. We will apply what we learn as time goes by to the travel industry, along with our vendors. We will continue to digest more specifics about various forms of travel and destinations as they hit our email stream daily. I want to make note the latest update on this page is June 3, 2020. This information will change as we learn more about how to live and travel with Coronavirus. All photos copyright John Rice. Further Reading that we used to prepare this web page: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/pdf/Reopening_America_Guidance.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html https://www.who.int/publications-detail/cleaning-and-disinfection-of-environmental-surfaces-inthe-context-of-covid- 19 https://www.sandals.com/cleanliness-protocols/ https://www.americancruiselines.com/about-us/covid-19-operating-protocol https://news.marriott.com/news/2020/03/10/marriott-international-statement-on-cleaning-protocols https://info.amresorts.com/cleancomplete https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200414173251.htm https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbes-personal-shopper/2020/04/02/these-uv-sanitizers-can-kill-off-bacteria-and- viruses-including-the-coronavirus-that-caused-covid-19 https://www.consumerreports.org/air-purifiers/what-to-know-about-air-purifiers-and-coronavirus/ https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/hotels/2020/05/15/coronavirus-hotel-stays-amid-pandemic-hilton- marriot/3116217001/ https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them https://www.erinbromage.com/post/flying-in-the-age-of-covid-19 https://www.hypochlorousacid.com/