Photo courtesy of Spectrum News.
Flying is an important part of travel, and travel is an important part of life. Ever since COVID-19 began, passengers on commercial flights have dropped. Even though many people are now vaccinated, San Luis Obispo High School students need to know if flying is safe yet. With spring break starting April 11, this question is more urgent than ever.
A 184 percent increase in passengers was recorded from 2020 to 2021. This number is bound to rise again during Spring Break and summer.
Everyone who boards a flight, domestic or international, is mandated to wear a mask. If one is not fully vaccinated, the CDC also advises against flying immediately. If someone who isn’t fully vaccinated still flies, getting tested before and after flights is strongly recommended.
In the beginning of COVID 19, flying was an unprecedented activity. Now that many are used to pandemic life, the idea of flying is less daunting. Airports and airplanes now appear safe according to some.
“Everything felt very safe in the airport… [I’ve] flown a couple of times, in July of 2020 and 2021, and things felt a lot better in 2021. The plane was about half full, though, which was much safer than if it was full,” said sophomore XC Clements.
So flying actually isn’t as scary as it might seem. Airports have many sanitation stations, and have vending machines that sell face masks and sanitation wipes as well. In the waiting areas, certain seats are also blocked off so that there is six feet between all available seats. In these waiting areas in airports, and in planes, masks definitely seem like the key to staying safe.
However, despite there being research proven that masks stop the circulation of COVID-19, many still do not understand how wearing masks can help.
“The plane had problems with people not properly wearing masks even when flight attendants asked them to,” said Clements.
So in general, flying during COVID-19 does seem like a valid option, as long as one follows the mask mandates and gets tested before and after.
Sources: CDC, Today, World Nomads