Limit face-to-face contact
According to a peer-reviewed study (1), face-to-cafe contact accounts for 94% of coronavirus transmission. If you are driving to visit your family, pack your own lunch or bring some snacks with you. Remember that take-out > prioritize socially-distanced outdoor dining > socially-distanced indoor dining. If you are flying, try to keep a six-foot distance from other people. Also, prioritize airlines that block the middle seats when possible, including Alaska, Hawaiian, Delta, and Southwest.
In addition to avoiding face-to-face contact with others, it is also essential to wear a mask. Wear a mask when you grab a snack in the convenience store at gas stations, pay tolls on highways and tunnels, and use the bathroom in restaurants or gas stations. As for those who are flying, though built-in HEPA filters on planes can extract viruses from the air, they cannot fully prevent the spread of coronavirus from a sniff or cough from someone even several rows from you. Plus, all US airlines require passengers to wear facial coverings, except for Allegiant Airline's permission of face shields. According to many health officials, they are much less effective at preventing the spread of coronavirus than a properly fitting face mask in most situations.
It is also important that you pack some extra facial coverings, in case you leave one on the road or in a restaurant or wet them with water. According to a personal protection guideline published by The Johns Hopkins University (2), disposable surgical masks are no longer effective at filtering viruses after being wetted.
- 1. www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30607-3/fulltext
- 2. www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus/coronavirus-face-masks-what-you-need-to-know
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