While it is advisable to avoid or postpone any kind of journey during COVID, it may not be feasible at all times. If you must take your next flight journey, some tips must be followed to ensure a safe trip. Read further to know more about it.
Looking at different modes of travel, flight travel is the fastest with the least exposure time to the outside world, which is crucial during corona times. However, though the air inside the flights is filtered and circulated frequently, you cannot overlook the risk of getting infected during the process of boarding, deboarding, and long journey hours in crowded planes.
Let’s look at some tips to help you minimise the risk of getting a COVID infection during your next flight.
- Testing Compliance: Enquire about the COVID test requirements at the source and destination places in your journey and prepare accordingly. It is a good practice to get yourself tested before and after the journey to avoid any chances of infection spread, even if it not mandatory.
- Carry the Essentials: Make sure to carry full-coverage cotton masks and wear them for the entire journey. Also, you must keep sanitiser (with at least 60% alcohol content) and disinfectant wipes handy to use frequently, while getting through the boarding/deboarding process and after touching common surfaces. Carrying small plastic bags for your mobile, wallet, keys, etc. may also be useful in keeping the items infection-free.
- Minimise Human Contact: To keep the contact minimal with the outside world, you must try to complete most of your travel formalities before reaching the airport itself. Many activities like travel authorisation, check-in, seat selection, etc., can be easily done sitting at your home, through the internet. Also, avoid snacking or drinking through the outlets at the airport and other places.
- Avoid Unnecessary Movement: If you have completed most of your travel formalities online already and also carrying your food, it will help you to avoid unnecessary movement at the airport. Also, try to stay seated during the entire journey until necessary. Roaming around for things at the airport and using the lavatory multiple times will only increase the chances of infection.
- Avoid Eating/Drinking During the Journey: It is best to completely avoid eating/drinking during the journey. But if necessary, you must carry food from home and avoid buying it at the airport or inside the aircraft to minimise human contact and ensure the purity of food items. Also, it is suggested to avoid eating/drinking because you would require you to take off your mask during that time which may pose an infection risk.
Stay Vigilant, Stay Safe
There may be situations where travelling is unavoidable. However, be rest assured that flying is absolutely safe. In fact, it is safer today than any other means of transport. Let’s say, Mumbai to Ahemdabad distance by flight is around 400 km covered in approximately 1 hour through flight whereas it will take around 9 hours otherwise. More the number of hours of travel, more the exposure to the dangers of the pandemic. By following the above tips, you can minimise your infection risk and stay safe while travelling through flights during COVID times.
