I think we’re only going to go maskless inside of stores when the vast majority choose to do so. Masks don’t bother me in those situations.
Thank you, this was very interesting information. Assuming I take the train home, maybe I’ll be a little more chill about the cleaning frenzy. I’m not this hyper about cleanliness at home, believe me!
I’d have loved my own bathroom but wow those prices were astronomical. Apparently one of the trains I’ll be taking home (the Lakeshore Limited) will have a toilet in the roomette which is comforting but also horrifying given the size of the room - I mean that toilet will be right there as I sleep, eat, etc.
Well, some are pretty crazy about cleaning (for example, my mom). I don’t know if anybody else did this but during covid, my mom would buy groceries 14 days ahead of when we needed it. They would sit in the garage “sanitizing” cuz apparently covid stays on plastic and paper for a long time. She was scared that maybe the bagger or some of the groceries had been exposed to covid. When she did finally take them out of the garage, she used 75% alcohol to wipe down the entire box…just to make sure. To this day, I can still hear the screams of billions of little bacteria as their cell walls were blasted open by chemical agents.
I bet you for what you are paying for train you could get a first class airfare.
This is what I’m wondering. I prefer stuff neat and empty vs sanitized. And I rarely get sick. It’s been 7-8 years since I needed antibiotics and that was for an eye infection. But if I do get something respiratory, it takes my lungs forever to recover - hence why I was/am paranoid about covid. But I do wonder if living in such a bubble the last year had weakened my immune system. I hope not.
1 Like
That would be an interesting study TBH. I know I’m nowhere near a “needs things clean” person due to believing the immune system is stronger when it’s challenged more by the “basics.” We’re still careful with fresh meat, and such things that can be deadly, but dust bunnies and collections of dust/fur are quite common in my house. Occasionally I’ll set them back a little.
We never bought any hand sanitizer or wipes for the pandemic, but we also stayed away from people as much as we could. On a farm in a rural area, that’s easy to do. When we really needed to distance we used grocery (and feed or hardware) store pick up, so didn’t even have to go in the stores.
I wiped down my seat in an airplane before Covid and once I fly again, I will do the same. Sorry, but I was bound to get sick flying prepandemic and wiping down the seats seemed to help.
3 Likes
Pre-covid, I rarely got ill in connection with travel, except when I ran myself down while traveling (yes not pacing well is operator error). I expect once I resume travel fully vaccinated the same situation will reoccur.
My S has been traveling from HNL to IAD and LAX during the pandemic prior to being fully vaccinated snd since becoming fully vaccinated. So far, he’s managed to stay covid-free.
In Feb, unvaccinated D has also flown HNL to LAX and has remained covid-free. She has gotten her 1st shot and is patiently waiting for her 2nd shot. LA was relatively slow to allow younger folks to get vaccines in her area and she was waiting her turn. She is a hermit and intends to remain that way, likely even after being fully vaxed. (Normally, she is pretty social.). The folks in the house she’s living in all got covid while D was living with us in HI. They’re trying to help her stay healthy.
San Diego is going to start vaccinating cruise ship crews this week. A few ships have been hanging around the area for a year.
1 Like
That page says that “If cruise lines can show evidence that at least 98 percent of their crew and 95 percent of passengers are fully vaccinated, they can skip the labor-intensive process of launching test voyages, which could speed up the timeline for resuming cruises from U.S. ports like San Diego.”
Will cruise lines reroute to avoid places like Florida that have banned businesses from asking for “vaccine passports”?
New York is the only state that I know of to have a “vaccine passport”. New York state has an excelsior pass that can be used to show digital proof of vaccination or a negative covid test.
There will be many places that won’t assure all people will be vaccinated. If cruise lines are requiring passengers to be vaccinated then it shouldn’t really matter. The CDC has listed the safe activities for vaccinated people and it’s almost everything. Vaccinated people are safe.
Except that (according to the linked page) it is the current CDC guidance for cruise ships that cruise lines have to show the 98% of crew and 95% of passengers vaccinated to avoid the costly test voyages. So the cruise lines are stuck with either being “vaccine police” or extra costs of the test voyages.
A different travel wrinkle….but it is voluntary….at least for now.
1 Like
Hasn’t it long been the case that small planes have had to be careful with passenger weights for weight distribution issues?
Yes I’ve been on those lol, but this is for planes with 70 or less passengers which covers many of the regional jets in use today.
I’ve been on those small planes and they’ve asked people to move seats so as to balance the plane’s weight.
1 Like
@MarylandJOE , Louisiana has a digital wallet app where you can access your drivers license. And now you can also use it to show you’ve been vaccinated. It pulls the info from your medical records, once you give permission. Pretty cool. I hope to use it to get into vaccinated only seating for spots events and concerts.
4 Likes
Interesting, thanks for that information.
FYI, I got an answer from my email to Amtrak re sleeper car ventilation and the answer is:
Customers can travel with extra confidence knowing all our trains are equipped with onboard filtration systems with a fresh air exchange rate every 4-5 minutes. Windows onboard the trains cannot be opened.
1 Like