While travel has become inevitable, and in the face of persisting pandemic, many people still ask how best to travel within this period of uncertainty.
The truth is that no matter the gravity of the pandemic, mobility is a natural activity that can hardly be totally halted, even during emergency situations. Even in times of war, human movement still occurs.
In 1918, the Spanish Flu which was one of the deadliest epidemics in human history killed approximately 50 million people within 3 years it lasted (January 1918 to December 1920). It infected 500 million people, about a quarter of the world’s population at the time.
Social distancing isn’t a new idea. The curve of Spanish flu was flattened by the use of social distancing. The degree of social distancing varies though. The primary social distancing is keeping a considerable distance from other people to avoid spread, whereas secondary social distancing may go as far as migrating completely away from most vulnerable environments such as densely populated cities.
The good news:
The latest estimate of COVID-19’s fatality rate, infectiousness and its response to public health measures indicate that in relative terms, it will not match the devastation of 1918 Spanish flu. The advancement in science and technology is playing great role at stemming the impact of the scourge. The Spanish flu killed 50 million people in 3 years whereas COVID-19 death rate so far is 5 million plus in over 2 years’ period. It has also been discovered that Africa has greater resistance to the pandemic as total population of deaths in Africa is less than 300,000 of the total global death toll of 5 million plus recorded.
Surviving the Pandemic while traveling:
Get protected: – The major scientific achievement is the preventive and curative discoveries against the pandemic. If you must travel, get vaccinated to reduce the chance of being badly infected which may lead to death.
Lifestyle – Avoid unhealthy consumables, maintain social distancing, maintain good hygiene, engage in physical exercises to increase your immune strength and above all, avoid crowded environments.
Travel – If you must travel, have the courage to move once you have taken all necessary precautions. The world won’t stand still. There are thousands of precautionary information on travel safety, get enough of them but never stay down!
