Travel During Post (and Non-Post) Pandemic and Climate Impacts
经过保罗·鲁登/
I traveled on Amtrak from Washington DC to New York City and back for the July 4 weekend. The current Amtrak policy on masking is posted on its website:
Face Coverings
While Amtrak passengers and employees are no longer required to wear masks while on board trains or in stations, masks are welcome and remain an important preventive measure against COVID-19. Anyone needing or choosing to wear one is encouraged to do so.
根据我们的经验,和与其他模式(t)ravel, this policy is observed mainly in the breach. Very few travelers wore masks in either Union Station or the new Moynihan terminal in New York City. A large majority of travelers on both our Acela trains were likewise maskless.
我不要求注意这个现实来主张或反对掩盖,而是要提醒旅行顾问保持警惕,以告知旅行者有关现实of travel at this time. COVID-19 has not disappeared. The Center for Disease Control, while reducing the scope of its reporting to weekdays, still showed169,430 new cases in the United States on July 5。
鉴于房屋快速测试的流行率,无论结果如何,通常不会向卫生当局报告结果,新病例的实际数量可能大大增加。虽然死亡率明显低于2022年2月初的最后一个高峰水平,但新住院时间于2022年4月初触底,并再次上升。
还提供有关社区差异的数据。客户可以自己进行调查,但旅行顾问应采取其他方式进行调查。
The World Health Organisation said Tuesday that coronavirus cases have tripled across Europe in the past six weeks, accounting for nearly half of all infections globally. Hospitalization费率也翻了一番,尽管重症监护的入院率仍然很低。
瑜伽士·贝拉(Yogi Berra)著名地说:“直到结束,这还没有结束”,并带领他的团队在一个非同寻常的后卫赛季中获得了分区冠军。不幸的是,他的不良厌恶症是Covid-19的正确性。即使存在威胁,尤其是对于某些特别脆弱的群体,与共同相关的限制也是如此。因此,对于旅行顾问而言,保持意识和交流,尤其重要现实作为正式限制的旅行,对“正常”的渴望产生了。这是事实,尤其是对于那些弱势群体中的任何客户。戴着口罩和社交距离是“出来的”。
There is more. On top of the mask/no-mask/vulnerability question, recent developments have added another sensitive touchpoint for travel advisers. Regardless of your beliefs about climate change, the news about the current weather affecting the United Kingdom, among many other globally dispersed destinations is cause for serious concern for many travelers. Among the many articles on the subject,这个很好地描述了传播和危险。
如果未能补充水分并采取其他预防措施,高度环境热的严重威胁也会影响他们的健康。许多旅行者可能不会意识到自己的脆弱性,也不会认真对待风险。甚至Amtrak都在报告heat-related impacts on train service between New York and Philadelphia。
It seems somewhat crazy, but a related risk is that of wildfires that have sprung up around Europe. For travelers going into the country or into wooded areas, it is entirely appropriate, and probably wisest, for travel advisers to alert them to the dangers. As with earlier days when terrorist threats seemed higher, travelers should have a plan of action in the event unexpected threats arise.
警惕某些旅行者的更大风险是棘手的,因为它可能需要解决许多人认为高度个人和私人的情况。但是,顾问可以在不侵入私人健康信息的情况下将与风险相关的基本信息告知旅行者。您只想确保了解旅行环境的现实。您不需要了解客户健康状况的细节。记录您告诉每个客户的内容。与往常一样,当麻烦袭击尚无准备时,回忆可能会很短。
最后,清除对健康信息的普遍误解。在大流行期间,人们通常会看到人们对1996年的《健康保险携带性和问责制法》或HIPAA提出了许多错误的主张。你can see a good summary of HIPAA here.
The main point is that HIPAA does not prevent a travel advisor from asking about health information, though for obvious reasons great care should be used when doing so. HIPPA also does not prevent individuals from voluntarily disclosing personal health information if they choose to do it.
The bottom line: disclose the reality of travel conditions as best it can be determined and let the client decide what to do. You don’t have to paint an apocalyptic picture. Just provide relevant information about the circumstances that the traveler should be prepared for given current conditions. Be helpful but not intrusive.