Masking while Traveling

Dear Member,

This summer looks to be a busy travel season! As you all know two weeks ago they lifted the mask mandate on airplanes. This has caused many questions about safety while travelling now during the pandemic. We wanted to share a few quick safety tips:

• Airplanes have excellent air filtration systems. A department of defense report found that plane ventilation eliminated the risk of airborne COVID-19 exposure by 99%.

• Droplets are not filtered. So if someone next to you has COVID-19 the risk is still there. Masks protect against droplet transmission.

• Airports and boarding lounges are terribly under-ventilated. A perfect breeding ground for catching viruses. Masks can help during this time.

• Most important to remember is that the plane's filtration system is NOT turned on while boarding or taxiing to and from the runway. Wear your mask then.

• If travelling by car with others outside your household, do an antigen test an hour prior to leaving or a pcr test the day of travel. This will help reduce chances of infection.



We do believe you can travel safely now, just travel smart.

Bon voyage!

Side note: We are seeing that it can take up to 6 days to test positive on a home test for this new omicron ba2 variant. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and test negative at home, we advise you to do a PCR to be safe. Also if you're a candidate for Paxlovid - the pfizer antiviral drug - it must be started within the first 5 days of symptoms.