SENIOR Travel PRECAUTIONS IN THE POST COVID-19 WORLD

Are you antsy to get out of the home already and start exploring the world once again? I know Denis and I are, and we are planning to hit the road as soon as travel restrictions are lifted. But as much as we would have loved to return to our previous travel lifestyle, we realize that the post Covid-19 travel environment will be forever changed.

President Franklin Roosevelt’s warning that “the only thing we have to fear is…fear itself” could not be more appropriate to today’s coronavirus pandemic. We have every intention of moving forward with our lives (probably with even more passion than before) and not let fear dictate our decisions or our actions. Nevertheless, being cognizant that deaths from the coronavirus are a bigger issue for the older population, we as seniors need to do what we can as we go about our daily life to minimize the risk of exposure as well as the risk of infection, at least until a treatment or vaccine is found and made available.

Both governments and companies will be implementing measures to help protect the public from exposure to the coronavirus. Airlines, hotels, cruise ships and restaurants will all adopt new ways of providing services to travelers like us. Practicing social distancing and wearing face masks are very likely practices that will remain with us for quite a while.

We will be taking a few additional precautions as part of our “new normal” way of life and of travel. These precautions are not based on clinical trial science but on what we consider common sense for us:

• Gargle with mouthwash every morning and evening

To help understand why, read this excerpt from the May 14th 2020 issue of Dentistry Today:
Mouthwash May Fight Coronavirus
Readily available dental mouthwashes have the potential to destroy the lipid envelope of coronaviruses, combating virus replication in the mouth and throat, according to a multidisciplinary team of researchers at the Cardiff University School of Medicine who concluded that there is an urgent need to test this approach in clinical trials.

• Take 1000IU Vitamin D supplement every day

We take vitamin D to help maintain a healthy immune system so that, if we do get infected, we will possibly be at lower risk of a serious or even fatal illness.

More Vitamin D, Lower Risk of Severe Covid-19?

• Test our oxygen level daily with a pulse oximeter

The oxygen level test with a pulse oximeter, a very inexpensive device, is our favorite recommendation as it gives us daily reassurance when we see steady rates for both of us. We measure our oxygen levels and pulse rates with a Pulse Oximeter (readily available on Amazon).  A drop in the oxygen level can be an early indicator of a possible coronavirus infection before other symptoms of coronavirus infection manifest themselves, and a signal to obtain medical assistance. The sooner one gets to the hospital when the Covid-19 illness becomes serious, the better the odds of surviving the disease. We consider it as basic as taking our temperature with a thermometer.

Can a Pulse Oximenter Save Your Life If You Have Covid-19?

• Wear disposable gloves and use hand sanitizer frequently 

While a lot of attention is being given to the benefits of wearing face masks, it is also beneficial to take common sense measures to reduce the risk of transmission of the virus by physical contact with our hands. A box of Disposable Gloves and bottles of Hand Sanitizer gel are now part of our travel checklist. Wearing gloves (and taking them off and disposing of them properly after use) not only reduces the possibility of the virus getting on our hands but also diminishes our inclination to touch our faces with our hands. Using hand sanitizer was already a standard feature of cruising, which will no doubt be not only more popular but also more widely available aboard cruise ships in the months to come. We now carry bottles of hand sanitizer with us everywhere we go and sanitize our hands frequently throughout the day, even when wearing disposable gloves

• Revel in a gourmet meal every day

This last recommendation is not all tongue in cheek. Loss of taste and smell has been confirmed as one of the initial symptoms for coronavirus infection, so what better way to find out every day if your taste buds are working than enjoying a delicious meal with plenty of flavors? That is certainly the path we choose to take!

Loss of smell and taste validated as Covid-19 symptoms

So, until cures or vaccines are readily available, welcome to the new “post covid-19 normal”.  When travel restrictions are lifted, let’s look forward to once again traveling with plenty of joie de vivre, face mask and all other precautions notwithstanding !

Stay tuned to BonVoyageurs.com for our writings about other Countries of the World as we share our joie de vivre from around the world. Luxury escapes, cruises and city breaks to Québec City, New York, Washington, Buenos Aires. In Europe and the Mediterranean, places like Paris and Nice in France, Florence, Rome, Napoli and the Amalfi Coast in Italy, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Israel. In Asia, countries like China, India, Nepal and so much more!

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