If I buy travel insurance now for an upcoming trip, will it cover a cancellation due to the coronavirus?
Airline policies are changing frequently, so be sure to check with the airline about their rules before you book .Everything — even a trip to the grocery store — can feel risky right now. But the risk of travel comes down to one major factor: other people.
When you're in a car, you can control your exposure to other people. But on a plane, you don't have many options to remove yourself from a risky scenario, like sitting near a coughing person or being stuck within six feet of another flyer. , PhD, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the nonprofit Research Triangle Institute explains that "risk is determined by how 'safe' you and those you come in contact with are." Before you embark on road trip or flight, Dr. MacDonald says to consider questions like: "Are the people in the airplane coming from high transmission areas? Are the stops on the long drive in low or high transmission areas? Are people compliant with physical distancing and face coverings? The flight involves interacting with people beyond who is on the airplane. Did people take a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to get to the airport? How long were they in the airport? What did they do while they were waiting?" Do I have to wear a mask on a flight? What if I have a medical condition that makes wearing a mask impossible?Almost all US airlines are enforcing strict face covering requirements . Until recently, most airlines were giving passengers with a disability or medical condition a pass on this rule, but no more. Now, pretty much all American-based airlines are no longer allowing anyone to fly without a mask ., but anyone claiming the exemption will need to undergo a strict "clearance to fly" process at the airport that can take over an hour. So, think of your mask like an airline ticket now — if you don't have one, you're not getting onboard.Yes, you can briefly take off your mask to eat or drink during a flight, but remember that the mask rule is there to protect your fellow passengers, so don't abuse this loophole. If you need to slip off your mask for eating or drinking, make sure you sanitize your hands before touching your mask, and bring a clean paper bag or other container to store your mask in .Flying used to involve a basic checklist before heading out to the airport: ticket? ID/passport? Now your mental list should look more like: ticket, ID, mask, sanitizer. , an epidemiologist and associate vice president for research and innovation at Virginia Tech, offers final day-of basic rules to follow while flying during the pandemic:Wash your hands frequentlyCaroline Morse Teel is a travel writer who has pursued stories from Antarctica to Zanzibar and everywhere in between. Her work has appeared on Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveler, USA Today, TripAdvisor, Jetsetter, SmarterTravel, and more. Follow her travels on Instagram
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