You may know about pandemics from games, movies, and literature, but who would have thought that such scenarios can occur in our daily life? The Coronavirus shows globalization’s major weakness – the exponential spreading of diseases across borders, thus making the knowledge related to Coronavirus and travel highly valuable.
These days you might wonder: Coronavirus and Travel to Asia – does this work? What should I do? With this guideline, we want to show you what you need to know about the relationship between coronavirus and travel to Asia.
#1 – Wash your hands!
When it comes to the coronavirus and travel, this is always the most important and fortunately the easiest point to follow. The notation Coronavirus is used to describe a virus-family of severe acute respiratory syndromes and the infection that induces the disease COVID-19.
The Coronavirus is according to that a respiratory virus and can be transmitted easily by shaking hands or touching your eyes, nose, and mouth after touching any public surfaces.
According to the World Health Organisation’s published information about Coronavirus and travel, using alcohol-based hand rubs or washing your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds reduces the risk of catching the virus. Wearing rubber gloves in public is useless because the virus can still survive on the surface.
#2 – Maintain social distancing!
While washing your hands regularly seems fairly easy, this point about the Coronavirus and travel might be the most difficult to comply with, just because we as humans are a very social species.
Hugs, high-fives, kisses and touches are a fundamental part of our non-verbal communication, thus benefiting the spreading of diseases the most.
If you see someone sneeze or cough, which are considered common symptoms of a Coronavirus-infection, maintain your distance of at least 1 to 2 meters. If possible, avoid public social gatherings and places, like concerts or parks to minimize the risk of infection
#3 – Practice respiratory hygiene & food safety!
This point on our Coronavirus and Travel-list is dedicated to keeping the people you hold dear safe, especially after seeing symptoms appearing on yourself. Through droplets by coughing and sneezing the virus is easily spread between people, even across short distances.
Always cover your mouth and nose with your flexed elbow or a tissue when sneezing or coughing. Purchasing a protective mask is also a great option to practice respiratory hygiene, but make sure to throw it away after every single use and wash your hands afterwards.
As countries might announce to cease the operation of restaurants and shops, it is crucial to prepare your food in the right way. Regarding current information on Coronavirus and travel consider using different chopping boards and knives as you wash your hands between handling raw meat and make sure to cook your food thoroughly.
#4 – Don’t fear and panic!
You might feel tempted to panic as the Coronavirus, that originated in China, Wuhan, has spread over the world in short time affecting already over 100 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Middle East leaving more than 100.000 infected with continuously increasing numbers.
When talking about Coronavirus and travel it might appear reasonable to you to prepare for the worst as you watch companies send their employees into home-office and countries close their borders setting seemingly apocalyptic scenes.
But wouldn’t you agree that it is more essential than ever to stay positive, optimistic and especially empathic towards the people around you at these days?
Don’t let your ego and your fear get the best of you and go panic buy 10 kg of flour. Keep a clear mind and share because we need to help and to support each other.
#5 – When you are overseas!
Following our tips on the Coronavirus and travel immensely decreases the likelihood of becoming infected. In general consider avoiding any unnecessary traveling as it increases your risks of infection and watch out for common symptoms like headache, fever or cough and difficulty breathing.
Seek immediate medical attention and follow the instructions of your local medical authority as they will have the most recent information regarding the situation. Especially while traveling you need to share your previous travel history with your healthcare provider.
While most people experience mild symptoms, it is important to take care of those with a high risk of catching the Coronavirus. Therefore, it is important to stay up-to-date and follow the recommended measures related to Coronavirus and travel. For reference you can check updates by the WHO
Check specific information about your travel destination on reputable sources like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visit each affiliated Web page of the Ministry of Health and Travel Advisory Offices according to your location to be able to evaluate the overall situation appropriately.
If you happen to choose to self-quarantine during these times and you are looking for ways to make the most of your time at home – Then check out our NEW programme: Virtual Internships!
