Family vacation 2022, what should be different in a pandemic?

It is inevitable that children will get excited thinking about school holidays, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the variants that predominate are raising questions about what to do to be safe. The level of risk when leaving depends, to a large extent, on where you live. Must follow the recommendations of local authorities and learn about transmission rates and vaccination rates against COVID-19 in the area you plan to go to.

In places with low COVID-19 transmission rates and high vaccination rates, people who are fully vaccinated are at less risk, while those who have not been immunized, including children, can still get it.

In addition, precautions are maintained, such as maintaining physical distance, wearing a mask when around other people and washing hands frequently.

In one week Guayaquil rose from 2.4 infections per 10,000 inhabitants to 4.8; since yesterday it went from alert 1 to 2, which implies adjustment in the restrictions

On the other hand, each activity carries different risks. For example, if you are meeting with a group of people, find out if they are vaccinated and if they take precautions, and consider where and for how long you will be together. Meeting in open spaces and for short periods of time carries fewer risks.

Do not attend or organize meetings if someone in the family is sick or has symptoms of COVID-19. Stay home, seek medical help, and help slow the spread of the disease.

Consider your travel plans carefully

All trips carry a certain risk. Before traveling, Unicef ​​spokesmen advise, check the incidence of COVID-19 in your area and at your destination.

Suspend the trip if any member of the family is sick, have symptoms of COVID-19 or have had contact with a person who has been infected with COVID-19 in the last fourteen days. Family members who have not been vaccinated and therefore have a higher risk of developing a serious disease (such as people of advanced age or with previous pathologies), should consider postponing their trips until they receive the full vaccination schedule.

If you decide to travel, avoid doing it on the most designated dates and times. Check travel restrictions, confinement and quarantine regulations and mandatory tests both in your area and in the places you plan to visit. Please note that these policies may change on short notice and travel plans may be altered as a result. If you are traveling by plane, carefully check the requirements of the airline.

Ómicron causes the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights worldwide

When you return home, follow the recommendations or regulations imposed by the authorities in your country or region and take basic precautionary measures, while keeping an eye out for possible symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking help if you detect any.

Take precautions in public places

Here are some of the most important precautions your family can take when in public places:

• Avoid crowded spacesconfined and closed with little ventilation and try to maintain a physical interpersonal distance of at least one meter.
• Use a face mask when you are in public places where there is an incidence of COVID-19 and it is not possible to maintain physical distance.
• Wash your hands often using soap and water or an alcohol sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your face (eyes, nose, and mouth).
• I searched medical assistance as soon as possible if someone has a fever, cough, breathing difficulties or other symptoms of COVID-19.

Meetings, few and small

Crowded, confined, and enclosed spaces with poor ventilation and crowds, such as concerts, events, and parties, can be especially dangerous. Whenever possible, outdoor gatherings are recommended. If you are planning a gathering with friends and family from different households, consider taking extra precautions before the gathering. For example, they can get tested for COVID-19 if they are available to them.

Consider the needs of your loved ones. The COVID-19 pandemic has been distressing for everyone and many people may be concerned about gathering as a group, even if it is the closest family. As far as possible, try to contact friends and family before the meeting to check on how they are doing and talk about what worries them.

Consider deferring visits to family members or friends who are not vaccinated and who are therefore at higher risk of developing a serious illness from COVID-19 (such as the elderly, grandparents, or people with previous pathologies), or take extra precautions when with them: for example, use the mask regardless of whether you have been vaccinated and try to get children to keep their distance from those people.

Each family must formulate its own decisions according to its particular situation. Take some time to explain to your children your decisions and rules, as well as the reasons why it is important to follow them.

The camp experience in 2021

Many youth and children’s camps They were closed in 2020 and reopened at the end of 2021 or announced the return of activities for 2022, encouraged, among other things, by the progressive return to face-to-face classes.

In the United States, a total of 486 summer camps (July-August 2021) reported that protective measures greatly helped them avoid viral transmissions, according to a report from the American Camping Association. When both boys and staff wore masks, the risk of transmission dropped to 87%, compared to places that didn’t emphasize measurements. Of a total of 90,000 people who were part of the study, there were 30 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the minors (and 72 among the staff).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released additional safety resources in August: quarantines before reaching the camp, tests before and after arrival, daily symptom check, small groups, and masks and social distancing outside those groups. The result was three positive cases among 1,022 boys and counselors.

But if you stick with the idea of ​​traveling with the family, remember that many plans can change overnight. The American organization Consumer Reports made a survey in which 65% of parents who thought to travel with their children felt that an airplane flight was quite safe for them. It may be, say the CDC, but keep in mind that this is the case for those who have been immunized. Those not vaccinated will need tests before traveling, plus a test and quarantine upon arrivalWhether they go by plane, train, bus or other shared transport.

Finally, for parents with their young or unvaccinated children, traveling by car is always the safest. Flying forces you to be in close contact with others in a closed space for a long time, first at the airport and then on the plane.

Then there are your plans for the trip. If the family is visiting open-space tourist sites, then everything will probably be fine. But if you have an itinerary planned where you will see different groups of family or friends, the exposure will be greater.

Staying in a room where you can prepare your own food is a good decision, better than eating out every day. Camping, whether in tents or in a vehicle for this purpose, is another low-risk option. Families traveling with their young children should have their own space to eat and sleep, not shared by people who are not from that nucleus.

And if the idea is to go to the beach, natural parks or countryside, these will always be better than theme parks or concert arenas.

Maybe the 2022 holiday season won’t be all we’d hoped for until just a few weeks ago, when it seemed like a semblance of the old normal was making a comeback, but it can be memorable if we set ourselves a goal to make it safe first. (F)