When Staying Safe Means Staying Home By Shelly Wilfong
For the past six years, my family has been part of an intergenerational mission trip to an orphanage outside of San Jose, Costa Rica. Each one of us makes a unique contribution to the team. My mother serves as a translator and helps the local women prepare meals for the mission team. My teenage daughters engage with local youth through sports and lead arts-and-crafts. The able-bodied among us take on more physical challenges like building a septic system or erecting a cinder block fence. Team members with specialized skills, from bread baking to hairdressing, share what they do best with the local community. This year, COVID-19 wrecked our Spring Break travel plans. The first sign of trouble came when my physician husband announced he had concerns about my mother’s traveling. Although she is healthy, my mother is over 70, and COVID-19 can be deadly for older people. She reluctantly bowed out of the trip, but the rest of us still planned to go. In the week before departure, fellow team members became increasingly concerned about various health ailments, the possibility of having to self-quarantine upon return, and the uncertainty about shifting international travel policies. Our church and the orphanage ultimately decided to postpone the trip. A new destination emerged quickly, and my family rented a house in the Texas Hill Country. Avoiding air travel seemed to be a wise choice, and I could visit the many nearby Texas wineries. This plan was disrupted when, once again, my husband advised my parents to stay at home. My daughter had just returned home from her 8th grade trip to Washington DC, potentially exposing her to COVID-19 as well as the typical germs that are prevalent this time of year. A person can transmit COVID-19 before experiencing any symptoms, and the safest bet is to keep high-risk individuals away from potential sources of infection. Between the germs my children bring home from school and travel and those my husband brings home from the hospital, my parents’ biggest health risk factor is spending time with us. Common safe travel tips include thorough hand washing, use of disinfecting wipes to clean shared surfaces, and “social distancing,” allowing space between parties in restaurants or transportation. Conscientious travelers should always cover coughs and sneezes and stay home when sick. These precautions may not be enough to ensure personal safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, for people in high-risk categories because of age or preexisting health conditions, traveling may not advised. My daughters and I will be spending Spring Break in the Texas Hill Country as planned, but it will be a girls’ trip. My husband will remain in Dallas to help manage his medical practice’s coronavirus response, and my parents are staying home to practicing extreme social distancing. Sometimes, the best way to stay safe is to stay home.
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