{"id":29477,"date":"2020-03-03T10:58:26","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T17:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=29477"},"modified":"2024-07-17T16:23:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T22:23:47","slug":"travel-plans-coronavirus-what-should-you-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/travel-plans-coronavirus-what-should-you-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Your travel plans and coronavirus: What should you do?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Travel
Coronavirus and your travel plans. What should you do? Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So, you have a trip planned to Italy, you\u2019ve booked a cruise or you\u2019re hoping to take in some of the events at the summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now what?<\/p>\n

\n

For all updates and to read more articles about the new coronavirus, please visit uchealth.org\/covid19<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

Dr. Michelle Barron, an expert on infectious diseases<\/a> and medical director for Infection Prevention and Control at UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>, says individuals need to think carefully about how coronavirus could impact their travel plans and encourages people to make their own decisions.<\/p>\n

For older adults or people who have compromised immune systems, Barron and public health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are advising them to stay home and avoid cruise ships.<\/p>\n

For those wanting to travel now, Barron advises avoiding countries and regions of the U.S. that have had large numbers of COVID-19 cases. Johns Hopkins is updating a real-time tally of COVID-19 cases around the world.<\/a><\/p>\n

To track cases of the new coronavirus in the U.S., click here for updates from the CDC.<\/a><\/p>\n

If you decide to travel, think about places without crowds.<\/p>\n

“I would avoid the big cities and try to find a small beach town or the like,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

And whether you stay home or decide to take a low-risk camping trip for spring break, be sure to minimize your risks by washing your hands religiously and keeping surfaces clean.In the IN add<\/p>\n

As you consider your travel plans and coronavirus, Barron said you should think about your personal health. In addition, Barron said it\u2019s important to think about the kind of situations you\u2019d face in the country you are visiting. With increased travel restrictions, it\u2019s also possible that you could face quarantines upon your return home.<\/p>\n

For now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)<\/a> is advising against travel to China, South Korea, Iran and parts of Italy and Japan.<\/p>\n

Barron thinks people should make decisions about travel based on issues like population density. If you have plans to go do a big hiking trip in Asia, for instance, and you will be far from crowds, then your risk of COVID-19 might actually be quite low.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, traveling to densely populated cities in countries with many cases of COVID-19 right now could be risky.<\/p>\n

\"A
Dr. Michelle Barron is an expert in infectious diseases. Photo by UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s purely a personal decision, but it\u2019s worth thinking about whether you\u2019ll be in close proximity to someone who is sick. On a crowded subway, for instance, if someone is coughing, your chances of getting sick increase,\u201d Barron said.<\/p>\n

To help patients, friends and colleagues, Barron prepared a Q & A with her advice, along with tips from the CDC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

What are the routine precautions I should follow if I do travel?<\/strong><\/h3>\n