That’s still a very low probability- and the person has to be infected. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not excited about jumping on a plane, but I’ve had a couple of trips and didn’t get sick. I know a lot of people who have been flying either for work or personal trips, and no one has gotten sick. Large family gatherings- different story.
The greatest chance of catching COVID on a plane isn’t when you’re sitting in your seat. It is when you have to use its lavatory, or when you board or disembark the plane.
We just returned from a six week trip driving cross country. (We rented a house at our destination to see our first grandchild). But we spent two weeks driving there and back.
I couldn’t tell which states had mandatory mask requirements or not. Mask wearing was almost universal. People are wearing the masks whether it’s mandatory or not. I can recall just one person who was wearing her mask around her chin, likely to be able to see her computer screen clearly. Otherwise on the street, in the grocery store, at gas stations, etc. people were really careful and wearing masks. All motels had mandatory mask requirements to be in the lobby. We dined in only twice (when we were literally the only diners). We did this by eating at odd hours.
I felt very safe on our travels, and we were being super careful since we would be around a newborn.
Is the lavatory higher risk because it is an enclosed space with a lot of people in it (albeit one at a time)? Probably also not with extraordinary ventilation.
Why is boarding/disembarking higher risk? Because people walk past you?
Because it’s been used here a few times, the English major and military mom in me needs to point out that you “disembark” from a ship; you “deplane” from aircraft.
Carry on.
When we flew to Minnesota this summer (when their infection rate was low!), the planes were pretty empty and we felt safe. BUT in the Philadelphia airport, some of the gates were mobbed - crowd spilling out in the concourse. There was no way to avoid getting very close to people as we walked through those areas. THAT made me nervous.
I didn’t find the airport lavatory particularly concerning. The ventilation is quite good and you wash your hands and let yourself out using a paper towel. I never found the lavs pleasant, but it’s no worse than anything else you do. Contact transmission is pretty low probability anyway.
I wish this were true where we live in PA and where we are now in VA. One would think it would be improving as numbers get higher in this wave. It’s not. It’s getting worse. H and I take note when we’re eating Take Out in our car (it’s our entertainment) and when we’re gassing up/shopping, etc. Last time it was less than 50% with masks at a popular (aka busy) convenience store. All employees we saw had them, but not all shoppers. Employees also often wear them below their noses.
Mask wearing requirements by state: https://www.littler.com/publication-press/publication/facing-your-face-mask-duties-list-statewide-orders
@ChoatieMom Actually, the online dictionaries indicate you can use the word disembark in terms of an airplane, not just a ship.
“to go ashore from a ship”
“to leave an aircraft or other vehicle”
“to exit from a ship, aircraft, or other vehicle”
Mask compliance in Northern Michigan is going down and down since our state Supreme Court struck down our governor’s executive orders. Our Covid cases have gone up accordingly.
@Creekland, so true about your area of the state. I was recently there and I agree with the 50% mask wearing rate. I am good without a mask of giving a beeotch face, but trying to express disgust with a mask is only making my brow furrow lines even worse which in turn makes me even more disgusted. Just wear a fricking mask people. The PTB try to put out that real men dont wear masks, but I think the opposite. Grow up D.
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My son went to the Grand Canyon last week and could not believe how few people were wearing masks. There were no signs recommending masks and even Park employees in kiosks were not wearing masks. Trails were crowded and there was no way to avoid others. He lives in the Bay Area, so it was quite a culture shock for him.
Had a flight from Philadelphia airport on Sunday at 0700. The airport was less crowded then the grocery store on a Saturday morning.! Walked right up to security check in, no waiting. Seats were roped off at the gate for distancing. Booked an aisle and window seat, no one in middle. Best part, not the usual rush to deplane !
We drove to Moab. Utah (Arches National Park etc) a few weeks ago for a mini-vacation. We felt pretty safe because our old fashioned motel had am outside door. There was a microwave, fridge and table in the room, but we also found a few outdoor dining options (it was warmer then). In the parks, we wore our masks except when there were other people within 10 or 20 feet of us. Many other people did same.
We went to a local state park last week. Spent about 1.5 hours there. Didn’t meet up with lots of people walking along the trails, but did notice that the likelihood of someone not being masked was proportional to their youth----almost all 60+ (like us) had masks, under 30, many did not.
What I did notice that this was the longest I had worn a mask (supermarket trips took much less time). I found the mask annoying and decided that
(1) I would NOT enjoy a vacation where I would have to be masked all day and
(2) glad I am retired from teaching, as wearing a mask ALL day would drive me insane!
We were on the trails of Shenandoah National Park last week during prime fall color season. My guesstimate is that 90% plus of people were wearing masks (children not included). But outdoor dining venues in the area (brew pubs, wineries, cideries etc.) with picnic tables on the lawn were crowded and eventhough tables were spaced six feet apart it was too crowded for my comfort.
On the drive we stayed away from the really popular national parks. I had read that many are having a record year for attendance since other types of vacation spots are unavailable. But the unknown historic sites on back roads had no one. So it was great for us.
I spent the day in NYC last week. Walked from the East River at 35th, up to 67th, then over through the park and up the West side to 98th and Broadway, so I covered a lot of ground and saw a whole lot of people. Mask-wearing was nearly universal there. Aside from people dining, I only saw three people with theirs down around their chin and a handful with it pushed below their noses in the entire day. Even babies in strollers were wearing them.
My D20 was up in Boston the weekend before last and said it was the same way there, too.
For anyone interested in visiting National Parks, but concerned about crowds: We often found nearby state parks offered similar though not equal scenery, and far less people. Not always of course. Yellowstone has few nearby equals that I am aware of.
That’s a good hint about state parks.
When in Moab, we went to Arches National Park a few times (lots of people, but it was nice that parking lots capacities kept the crowds dispersed - we usually wore masks but never felt cramped by crowds). We also drove out to less crowded and very different Canyonlands National Park, about 30 miles from Moab. While out that way, we also visited Deadhorse State Park. We liked both places so much we returned another day (we have a pass for National Parks, and our $20 Deadhorse entry fee was good for 3 days). The Deadhorse visitor center had such sparse crowds that we did a picnic supper by ourselves on its back deck… with lovely view of a mini grand canyon.