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USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
UP FRONT | TRAVEL
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Risk Factors How COVID-19 will reshape your next trip
By Curtis Tate
T
RAVEL IN THE MIDDLE of a global pandemic presents challenges, with each activity carrying its own level of risk for contracting the virus. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician who treats coronavirus patients at the Cleveland Clinic, says the primary path of transmission is contact with respiratory droplets spread by infected people. Face masks, physical distancing, frequent hand-washing and cleaning of surfaces have become standard across the travel sector. “Every industry has interventions in
place to make things safer,” Khabbaza says. “Companies are bringing in outside health experts. That can be a little bit reassuring.” Khabbaza offers his thoughts on the relative risks of different travel activities and best practices:
AIR TRAVEL In spite of all the precautions now in place, he says flying offers the most potential for exposure to the coronavirus because of the nature of how planes are configured. “Once you’re in the cabin, you don’t know who’s on the plane,” he adds. “You’re in relative closer proximity to
