Opinion Page Roundup: How our team is approaching travel during the pandemic

The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writers:

David Fitzsimmons

I’m happy to travel-shame folks.

China, Vietnam and Japan, nations that once appeared to have the virus contained thanks to swift and robust testing, contact tracing and strict quarantining, are now experiencing alarming surges. And that is thanks to all three nations relaxing their travel restrictions.

I will cheerfully travel when vaccines are available and the virus is contained. Until then, I am not spreading this killer. My attitude is informed by my personal knowledge of acquaintances who are physicians, nurses, epidemiologists and other heroic responders fighting this plague. The pangs of sorrow I feel for stricken friends and families suffering the ravages of this plague stiffen my resolve to strictly follow guidelines and stop the spread at my front door.

There’s another motivating factor. I’m turning 65 today. A fantastic milestone, right? Not when the nation’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that “8 out of 10 deaths reported in the U.S. have been adults 65 or older.”

I’m vulnerable to this plague. Like Superman to Kryptonite.

My mantra ,“You’re only as old as you feel”, has been replaced with “Maybe you’d best pick out an urn with a Quail on it.” The birthday joke from friends, “You don’t look a day over 66,” has been upstaged by, “How you lived this long is a wonder. It’s six feet apart or six feet under.”

In spite of the CDC assertion that a person with COVID-19 “may require hospitalization, intensive care, or a ventilator to help them breathe, or they may even die,” I am not going to let fear get under my wrinkled, freckled, mole-speckled, mottled, sanitized and scrubbed skin. My hide has been so tanned and dried by the Arizona sun I look like Yoda in a bolo tie.

Is my fear of travel paranoia?

Paranoia is the feeling that you’re being threatened by forces stalking you, out to get you, even though you have no proof it’s true. The scientific evidence is clear: coronavirus is out to get you. And as Jill once said, “That’s a fact, Jack.

Being prudent isn’t paranoid. It’s rational. And rational folks seem as rare as Reeboks on rattlers these days.

Travel out of town now? Nope. Shopping for essentials an inch from home sends me into a panic. Who may have touched this essential wind chime I stood in line to buy behind Typhoid Mary, Black Death Barney and Spanish Flu Fred? Asymptomatic Andy? Mask-hating Mona? Feral Fingers LaRue? The Dirty Digits of Pete the Plague Peddling Petri Dish?

Any reasonable desert tortoise following the numbers will tell you it’s time to “shelter in your shell.”

From the comfort of my shell this past month, I have visited Dublin at Christmas, enjoyed a trip to a Munich art museum and this old man even took a walking tour of the Zocalo in Mexico City. I had a safe, wonderful time.

Thanks, YouTube. That’s good enough for me.

As a quail chick told her momma hen, “I ain’t hatchin’ until there’s a vaccine, a plan, testing, tracing and containment.” Or leaving the nest.

Sara Brown

My husband and I wanted to go to the Grand Canyon and visit my family in Idaho this year. We were so looking forward to being in cooler weather, enjoying time on the water and being with my brothers — who I really do miss. But all of that has been canceled in our house. Using up our vacation time this year is now a vacation from the living room to the kitchen to the backyard, to the office and bedroom — not really what we had in mind, but what we feel is necessary.

My desire to leave the house unnecessarily or travel anywhere is not worth taking a chance on my life or anyone else’s. Many are asymptomatic — someone we know had a scheduled surgery and had no symptoms, but the hospital tested them as a precaution and their test was positive. To me, this is a big problem. Many have COVID-19 and are out and about unknowingly spreading the virus.

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I know no one would intentionally do this, but COVID does not affect everyone the same way. I’m not sure I could live with knowing I got someone sick, so I decide to stay home.

We are fortunate to live in a big enough city where we can have things delivered, order online and not have to go anywhere. I order my groceries and have them delivered to a table in my backyard, so I don’t come into contact with anyone. Pretty much anything else we need we order online.

Although I am fortunate enough to work from home, my husband still has to go to his place of employment. We take all the precautions we can — he wears a mask and gloves and washes his hands as often as possible and sanitizes when he can’t. He social distances while at work and when he gets home, his clothes go straight in the wash and he goes right to the shower.

We have masks and sanitizer by the front and back doors, so if anyone comes to our door, we can protect both them and us. My hope is that by staying home as much as possible there are less people out and about and less opportunity for the virus to spread.

Trust me, my urge so go somewhere, anywhere, is strong! We have taken to going on drives so the dogs and I can get out of the house. This helps, but we also try to keep ourselves fulfilled socially. We call and text our friends, Zoom for a game night or chat, cook together, read together and do projects around the house. All these things take a bit of effort from what we are used to, but it’s worth it because we keep ourselves and others safe.

Edward Celaya

All right. Someone has to say it, and since I’ve already done more flying during the pandemic than during the entire decade of my 20s, it might as well be me: Right now is a great time to travel. Both for day trips and longer hauls.

Let me explain. I’m definitely not advocating folks jump in their cars or hop on planes willy-nilly, throwing caution and shedding virus to the wind.

You still have to mask up when out, sanitize your hands wherever you go, pay close attention to your health and adhere to any local and state guidelines on social distancing.

But if you are single, have the good fortune to work from home (or where you have limited to no contact with co-workers) and you don’t have family members or friends to care for (or just don’t have family members or friends), flights and hotels are dirt cheap.

Plus, little towns that thrive on tourism — like beautiful Bisbee — could use a stimulus check, just like the rest of us.

Traveling has always come with risks, but there are helpful tips that can lower both your chance of becoming infected and of you infecting others.

First, if you’re flying, try to book with a carrier who is making an effort at mitigating the spread of the virus. For example, Southwest is keeping its middle row open on all flights until the end of September.

Any time any group of people crowd together in a flying tube, there’s a risk of contracting or spreading the virus. However, the fewer people on board, the lower the chance of spread.

Next, make sure to book a hotel or AirBnB that boasts its “enhanced cleaning procedures.” The motel staff at a small property I stayed at in San Diego cleaned the room so well every afternoon that I was greeted with the smell of bleach and cleaner instead of sand and swell.

If you do plan on eating out, check to see if the restaurant you’re headed to has both an outdoor seating option and paperless menus. That way, much like on a plane, you limit your contact to other humans and the virus.

Want to go dancing at a club? Belly up to the bar? Just chill at the beach? Well, in order: You can’t. Most bars are closed. And you better make sure you go to a beach with no crowds and leave if things start getting packed. My biggest rule for travel during the pandemic is to avoid crowds whenever possible, even outdoors.

Of course, there’s always a chance you catch COVID no matter how safe you are. That’s why, at the conclusion of each trip, I’ve made sure to quarantine for two weeks from my return date, just to make sure I’m not contributing to any asymptomatic spread.

I understand and respect the concerns of my two colleagues and others who look at traveling as a risk not worth taking. After reading their takes, if I were in a high-risk group or in a line of work that brought me in constant contact with others, I wouldn’t be traveling either.

I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can explore the country, even in the face of restrictions that make it difficult. That good fortune also comes with the responsibility to be as safe as possible, for myself and everyone around me. So be safe, mask up and enjoy your vacation, or staycation.