Is it possible to travel responsibly (during a pandemic)?

[Altamira]

I'm sorry to hear about the death of the brother of your wife's friend. Condolences to you and his family.

Since you think unnecessary traveling at this time, against CDC guidance, is like playing Russian Roulette with your own life as well as others, I guess you also like to do the same from your post in the othe thread. Hmmm very very interesting.

@Dan. I assume you missed the phrase, "...Covid situation permitting..." pertaining to our initial planning stage of a possible trip to Curacao later in the summer. Whether or not this trip materializes will be based on CDC guidelines, Curacao entry restrictions, and other scientific guidance pertaining to the possible transmissibility of Covid 19 by those of us who have been fully vaccinated, and the effectiveness of our vaccinations against the numerous variants. As in all of our travel plans, we like to know everything we can about all travel procedures and options to help develop alternate plans for contingencies. Following the six Ps (prior planning prevents piss poor performance) has worked very well for us in our many travels, and we will continue to follow that principle.

 

[Dan]

@Dan. I assume you missed the phrase, "...Covid situation permitting..." pertaining to our initial planning stage of a possible trip to Curacao later in the summer. Whether or not this trip materializes will be based on CDC guidelines, Curacao entry restrictions, and other scientific guidance pertaining to the possible transmissibility of Covid 19 by those of us who have been fully vaccinated, and the effectiveness of our vaccinations against the numerous variants. As in all of our travel plans, we like to know everything we can about all travel procedures and options to help develop alternate plans for contingencies. Following the six Ps (prior planning prevents piss poor performance) has worked very well for us in our many travels, and we will continue to follow that principle.

Summer is only 3 months away. I doubt pandemic situation would change in that short of time. This pandemic has been going on for more than a year. So more likely your plan trip to curaçao would not pan out or you just have to go with your Russian Roulette suggestion, spin the loaded cylinder and pull the trigger.

Good luck!

... I think unnecessary traveling at this time, against CDC guidance, is like playing Russian Roulette with your own life as well as others. Yes, you can spin the cylinder indefinitely and not hit the loaded cylinder, but it only takes one time to ruin your, or someone else's life. As I said, I hope you and everyone that comes in contact with you stays healthy and safe

 

[tursiops]

It is even more unlikely that your false dichotomy will take place; the pure black (it will be like it is now so just play Russian Roulette) or white (it will all have gone away). The trends are all looking good, so those of us who have had more self-control and have not traveled at all for over a year (or eaten in restaurants or seen friends) are beginning to see some light. The rewards can still be delayed, the risk is starting to go down...each person will decide when the ratio is right for them. Some good science consensus on whether vaccination helps protect others will go a long way to opening the doors again.

 

[MichaelMc]

Since you like to throw rocks to the sinner, I am very curious to know what a saint person like you are you doing now. What sacrifices have you done to stop the spread of the pandemic? When would you return to dive? I'll be watching any post / comment you put out here like a hawk to make sure you walk the talk.

In terms of my throwing rocks. I believe I have pointed to CDC guidelines and asked if people felt they were following them, including the parts about not traveling. Particularly when they cited following CDC guidelines. I'm fairly sure that is pointing at the sign on the wall that all of us can see and read, and not skipping parts of it.

In terms of what I am doing, I'm studying up for computer science job interviews to help fight the misinformation pandemic that continues to contribute to the state we are in. I could quickly get a different high-paying job with my just-completed Ph.D. in adversarial machine learning from UC Berkeley, a school tied for first in computer science. That is what I am doing.

The rare times I am out, I'm masked up and avoid being indoors much less near crowds. I've been doing that since March last year. I've not been diving in Monterey since October or so when we went on higher restrictions. I don't plan to go there in my own car till our restrictions lower more.

I'm not helping at the immunization centers, or the hospitals or clinics, or the grocery stores or food banks, nor necessarily doing my prep the fastest that I physically can. But doing that prep and using my skills to fight misinformation is likely the best thing that I can do about this covid pandemic and the mis and disinformation pandemic we are suffering during it.

In May, I paused work on my degree to co-author an op-ed "What to expect when a coronavirus vaccine finally arrives". I think it helped the public conversation a bit on both the pandemic and on misinformation about it. It is a bit old news at this point except for the inequities and difficulties in vaccine distribution, which we are now seeing play out. The lead photo the NY Times used was of women doing science in the 1950s, which could be worth it for parents with girls. I think it was a nice piece. Opinion | What to Expect When a Coronavirus Vaccine Finally Arrives

If some people feel that staying in as requested during a pandemic when I need not be out is being sheep, see above about working to wade into the messy mis-info battle at a high technical level. Or my posts about tiny sidemount, solo, and deserted mid-California coastlines under good conditions. Sure.

I'd been off this thread as I think the CDC sign on the wall is fairly clear. I think it is possible to travel responsibly during a pandemic as a medical worker, a relief worker or a critical infrastructure worker traveling for that work. To me, you need a good argument for being near that list of people.

 

[KenGordon]

Thanks for your reply.

Well, welcome to my "deluded to think what your are doing is safe and that not getting infected is any more than luck" world. What you have just described is what I have been doing since last March, may be more so than you since I worked from home since last March and retired last August.

My social life then was staying home, meeting once a week with 3 relatives and 4 close friends that I know their concern about avoiding of contracting the virus are a much as I am. I visited NO pub / night club nor partying or socializing (not my life style). I'm just a boring & quiet guy, but nuts about diving. I go to grocery twice a month, avoiding those mask deniers who's wearing bandana on the mouth with their noses hanging over the bandana. Since I could not go diving, I started to ride my bicycle 40-80 km 3 times per week.

I supposed to lead a dive trip to Florida last August. I cancelled that trip since I believe that flying any where that does not require a negative PCR testing prior to boarding the flight is very risky, like playing Russian Roulette as @Altamira puts it earlier post. You don't know whom would be sitting next to you for few hours in that airplane.

I also have 78 years old aunt in Florida that I use to visit at least once a year that I did not visit her last year due to the pandemic. I have no parents. So no problem there.

I did not fly to any where last year until December to Costa Rica and Cocos required a negative PCR test. I had trips to Utah, French Polynesia, Florida, Wisconsin, Costa Rica , Mexico, Bahamas and Indonesia all cancelled last year. Those trips are rescheduled to this year. So I am very much focus on NOT contracting the virus and NOT spreading it to others. I'm glad that those destinations are required you to get negative PCR test.

Stay safe!
Irresponsible Idiot & Delusional Dan

The difference is flying between distinct countries, especially leaving one with high rates. I might have been able to blag my way onto a ferry before they reopened to everyone by claiming to be a resident, I used to live there and was visiting for months, indeed it was a mistake to come back. The numbers earlier, and again recently, would have made that extremely rude. Personal behaviour might increase or decrease the chances of passing on an infection but only as a multiplier or divisor of the base risk represented by the local infection rate. Before it went mad with the more highly contagious variant, I was going in shops, especially in the islands where I had to shop for food rather than have it delivered. Since December I have only been in one shop which can only have two customers and is open to the street. The Kent variant really is a game changer. If that arrives ahead of widespread vaccinations you will see things turn nastier.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I may be an irresponsible idiot, but not a hypocrite. I'll get my 1st shot of COVID-19 vaccine in a couple hours. Have been diligently wearing N95 mask whenever inside public building or around stranger where social distancing is not possible, and washing my hands before touching things that are not belong to me. Have done 3 PCR tests and an antigen test with negative results for my trip to Cocos last December, Socorro in January and Belize in February.

I'll be getting another PCR test in a few days for my trip to Maldive next week. All of you Saints, please continue your quarantine.

I won't travel for foreseeable future but if others wish to do so why should I worry about it? I will get vaccinated but towards the end of the year most likely. I can wait. Vaccinations will not stop people becoming infected nor spreading the virus. If you travel then you assume there is a risk of becoming infected as other people have. One member wrote on here about how she traveled to Maldives and all the people with her got the virus and had to cancel flights and do quarantine before being allowed to leave. Lost of additional costs involved.

 

[Blackcrusader]

So I am very much focus on NOT contracting the virus and NOT spreading it to others. I'm glad that those destinations are required you to get negative PCR test. Stay safe! Irresponsible Idiot & Delusional Dan

Many people that have flown to Taiwan had negative PCR tests but were found to be infected during quarantine. It got so bad Taiwan stopped anyone coming in from Indonesia even though PCR tests were done as nearly everyone ended up being infected.

PCR test cannot show that someone will not always show up as being infected.

 

[Joneill]

Vaccinations will not stop people becoming infected nor spreading the virus.

Actually, that is not fully known yet. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the vaccines do, in fact, reduce COVID transmission:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-55913913

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.businessinsider.com/vaccines-reduce-coronavirus-transmission-early-research-2021-2?amp

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1258142

 

[Pressurehead]

Actually, that is not fully known yet. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the vaccines do, in fact, reduce COVID transmission:

Just curious, did you edit your post , "infact reduce" from the [qualifier] "may reduce" ?

 

[Blackcrusader]

Actually, that is not fully known yet. However, there is an increasing body of evidence that suggests that the vaccines do, in fact, reduce COVID transmission:

People who have been vaccinated have already contracted the virus again this is already known.
They may reduce transmission but they do not eliminate transmission.