Holiday Air Travelers Brace For Possible Quarantine, Additional COVID Precautions
SFO (KPIX 5) -- The holiday season -- typically a time of planes, trains and crowded parties -- might need to be re-thought as the country fights rising COVID-19 cases. according to Bay Area health officials.
After months of stay at home orders, COVID-19 fatigue is real according to Stanford Dr. Dean Winslow.
"The temptation is there just to say, 'Hey, lets get the gang together.' But honestly, we are in a lot worse situation in terms of COVID-19 cases in the United States than I think anyone really anticipated at the beginning of this outbreak earlier this year," Winslow told KPIX 5.
San Francisco's Department of Public Health is recommending quarantining for 14 days upon returning to San Francisco for residents who travel to a COVID hotspot for the holidays.
Dr. Winslow said to have safer celebrations, precaution could even be taken one step further -- getting a coronavirus test before traveling.
"I think it would be reasonable to actually request that they be tested for COVID-19, lets say within 72 hours of coming to visit," said Winslow.
Traveler Taylor Bell, who was visiting the Bay Area from Oklahoma City, thought that was the right call.
"I feel like that's the like the right precaution to take, especially if you have older family members you're going to be around for the holidays," said Bell.
Even getting to your destination for the holidays could be trickier than scheduling a COVID-19 test. With air traffic in and out of SFO at 24 percent of what it typically is this time of year, many flights simply have not returned.
Passengers KPIX 5 spoke with at SFO Thursday seemed resigned to more rules and less family time this holiday season.
"I'm actually going to go travel to family, but local. I'm not going to take any flights," said Ticia Hirabayashi.
