Traveling During a Pandemic

Imagine this scenario: you are already stressed about this pandemic...do you wear a mask or social distance (both please)? Do you stay home or is it safe to go outside? Should you go to the doctor or just continue Googling all your symptoms (PLEASE GO TO THE DOCTOR)? It’s all too much. CDC guidelines are changing daily and now the White House is positive for COVID-19. Just when you think you are good and are starting to understand the rules, airline travel comes and changes everything.

My husband had to travel to the Caribbean for family and you would think he was a terrorist trying to take over the government. I booked his trip on a Monday and as per the US travel website he would need to take a COVID test at the airport and quarantine for 14 days at a residence (which wasn’t a problem because he was going to see his parents). On Wednesday, American Airlines sent me an email advising that the country I am visiting may have their own restrictions and I should review. So of course, I called the airline and I was told he didn’t need a test before the flight but would need one once he arrived in the country.

Thank GOD for my nosy friends, who advised me to get in touch with the country’s health department because rules are changing daily. Mind you, my husband was traveling on Friday afternoon at 6pm - yes, just 2 days later - to arrive in the Caribbean on Saturday.

No matter what anyone says, Google is a lifesaver. I was able to call the Dept. of Health for his destination country and was transferred to the COVID task force. They sent me their COVID guide, which was 3 pages long. The USA had its own page, not joking. You needed a COVID-19 PCR test with results within 72 hours, not a rapid test because it was not as accurate. As someone traveling from the USA, you also needed to quarantine for 5 days and 5 nights at a government approved hotel/apartment and take another test at the airport.

My husband went to CVS on Thursday to take a test and was told he would have results within 2-3 days. I realized there wouldn’t be enough time for a PCR test because it’s sent out to a lab for results. I emailed the task force and was told because of the situation, a rapid test would do, but I needed a letter from them with exemption. I then called about 7 rapid testing clinics to get a test on Thursday or Friday morning. I finally found a place in Manhattan for 2pm on Friday and breathed again. I then booked a hotel for 5 nights for $500 where you cannot leave your room and must order room service for all meals. Once the test was taken, we drove to the airport and I sent a picture to the task force. I found out when my husband was on the plane that I took the wrong picture from the results printout. I had to text him and say “SEND ME FULL PAGE PIC ASAP.” Once he sent it to me at 9 pm, I emailed and got the exemption letter at 6am on Saturday morning.

I felt like I aged 5 years in 3 days. I didn’t relax until my husband called me and said he was at the hotel. He said as soon as he went to check in, he was asked for COVID test results, even though the airline customer service said he didn’t need a test to fly. In Miami, the check-in agents told passengers that they must quarantine at a hotel; a lot of passengers weren’t aware of this and of course were upset with this additional cost. I don’t know how this system can be fixed; there’s a lot of different information in different places and I am sure people weren’t aware that they could call their destination country to get direct info. They assumed (as I did) that that US travel site had all current information.

2020 feels like a parallel universe, and just when you think you understand the rules and can succeed, something else comes up and knocks you on your ass!!! This is a venting blog for sure; it’s been over a month and my heart beats faster everytime I think about this situation.

My only advice: do your research if you’re traveling. The headache and heartache when you arrive and plan to relax and get told you can’t enter the country is not worth it.