I just tested positive for COVID-19. Should I still travel?
Variations of this question are proliferating in Google search (as we experience a significant increase in summer travel and new coronavirus cases).
If you’re traveling for work or pleasure and haven’t yet considered whether you should fly due to COVID-19, chances are you will at some point.
President Joe Biden just tested positive while campaigning in Las Vegas. Several Tour de France riders are also battling the latest wave of COVID-19. And I was infected earlier this month on a recent cross-country trip, testing positive just two days before I was due to fly to Alaska to help my parents, ages 79 and 85, move out of their recently sold family home.
From an ethical standpoint, I didn’t feel comfortable flying knowing I had COVID-19 and certainly couldn’t show up at my parents’ house with the virus. But the last-minute scramble to reschedule the trip, with our dog, my husband, and my parents still needing my help, was extremely stressful.
Learn more: The best travel insurance
Should I fly if I just tested positive for COVID?
Technically, you can You get sick on a plane – no one is going to stop you at the gate to take a nasal swab – but you shouldn’t.
Just because airlines no longer require you to show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test before your international flight, as they sometimes did in the early years of the pandemic, doesn’t mean travel has to be germ-free.
“I advise you not to fly,” Vicki Sowards, director of nursing resources at Passport Health, wrote in an email. “You risk exposing other passengers on your flight, and traveling can contribute to fatigue and increased symptoms.”
If you know you have COVID-19, or think you do, you should not get on a plane, according to health experts, the CDC, and everyone who has weighed in on my social media pages this past week.
“Should you travel if you have COVID? Absolutely not. Other people are immunocompromised, so you could kill innocent people,” said Nick Longo, 56, of Corpus Christi, Texas. Longo travels internationally “at least once a year” and frequently flies within the United States. “Do I think a lot of people are flying right now? Yes. People who don’t care about other people are flying. That’s why the virus has spread.”
Mike Hensley, 54, of Northern California, agrees.
“That’s a simple answer,” he wrote. “No. You shouldn’t travel. That’s how viruses spread quickly. But yes, I’m sure people travel while positive because they think it’s a seasonal allergy or a cold, or they’ve convinced themselves they don’t feel that bad, or they’re already healthy (and don’t know/care about how viruses work), or they’re just selfish and don’t care about the people they’re exposing.”
I’ve been on a dozen planes in the past few months, and anecdotally, it’s true that a lot of people are sniffling, sneezing, and coughing, with not a mask in sight.
Another traveler told me she knew three people who flew to Europe from California while sick with COVID-19. She and her parents, however, changed their travel plans last month when they became infected with the virus, delaying their flight until they had tested negative for three days.
Do I have to wear a mask on the plane?
The CDC, the World Health Organization, the Mayo Clinic and many other health professionals agree that masks help reduce the risk of transmitting respiratory viruses, especially in close quarters, such as airplanes, trains, buses and automobiles. Officials say N95 masks are most effective.
It seems that many people are choosing to travel without masks, either because they know they have COVID-19 or because they are not getting tested to see if they have symptoms. There is no doubt that people are tired of masks and the pandemic, and many are likely treating COVID-19 like a seasonal flu or a cold, something they will have to deal with when they catch it.
Some people have even written on my social media pages that when it comes to traveling, they are not worried about transmitting the virus to others, because they believe that this is a risk that people knowingly take when they get on a plane these days.
That last sentiment resonated with me, because I suspect that’s how I contracted COVID-19 in two consecutive Julys, right after cross-country work trips that coincided with the peak of summer travel and virus spikes.
What should you do if you test positive for COVID-19 just before a planned trip?
Even though I am vaccinated and received my final booster in December 2023, I have some risk factors and got so sick with COVID-19 last summer that I couldn’t do much for about two weeks.
At first I thought I had seasonal allergies and waited a few days before getting tested. By the time I got tested I was already pretty sick. I had severe headaches, head and chest congestion, muscle aches and fatigue, and lost my sense of taste and smell for almost two months.
This summer was different. Although I had almost no tickle in the back of my throat, I was tired and sore and knew something was wrong, so I got tested immediately. When the result came back positive, I immediately started taking Paxlovid and postponed the trip to Alaska.
I didn’t fly until I tested negative, and I still wore a mask the entire time I was on the plane. (I didn’t eat or drink anything the entire flight.) I’ll continue to wear one indoors until all symptoms (I still have a slight runny nose) are gone, even though I’m now following the latest guidelines of two negative tests 48 hours apart. It’s not worth the risk of getting my parents—or anyone else—sick.
I admit that I have become much more lax about wearing masks on planes over the past year. I often feel a little embarrassed to be one of the only people wearing one, but getting sick is not worth it. I intend to wear one on all future flights.
What are the latest CDC guidelines?
I have several friends who, as long as they feel well enough, must wear a mask and return to the office to work, even with COVID-19. What exactly are the rules now?
The latest CDC guidelines, updated in March, say you can resume normal activities if you meet two conditions:
- You have not had a fever for at least 24 hours (without using antipyretic medications).
- Your symptoms are improving overall.
You may still be contagious, however, and the CDC recommends that for at least five days after returning to your routine, you:
- Use masks.
- Wash your hands frequently.
- Practice physical distancing (especially with people with risk factors for respiratory illness).
- Take extra steps for cleaner air.
In addition to CDC guidelines, the FDA recommends “two negative antigen tests for people with symptoms or three negative antigen tests for those without symptoms, taken 48 hours apart” before returning to social contact.
Travel insurance:What are the most affordable options?
What if I can’t afford to quarantine or be sick away from home?
The costs of flight changes, extended stays, and even extra time off work are adding up. Does that mean you should stop traveling? No, but you should have a COVID-19 plan that protects others, Richard Martinello, medical director of infection prevention at Yale New Haven Health in Connecticut, recently told Outside Magazine.
Martinello urges people to consider the moral and ethical consequences of endangering others, “like not driving while intoxicated,” he said. “Coming into close and prolonged contact with other travelers when you know you’re sick, whether it’s COVID or any other contagious virus, is irresponsible. You never know who you’re sitting next to on a plane. If someone is immunocompromised, even a cold can push them to the brink of serious illness.”
Be sure to check your airline’s COVID-19 policies before you buy your ticket. Many airlines are still waiving change fees for travelers who need to postpone their flights due to the virus. For even greater protection, book a ticket that can be changed or credited if you need to cancel your flight, and look into travel insurance.
I almost always fly Alaska Airlines and usually pay a small fee to make my trip fully refundable no matter what. I didn’t do that for this last flight (to save my husband and I $280) and ended up paying a $37 change fee for the difference in ticket prices between the day I was supposed to fly and the day I did. Many airlines will also give you a full credit toward a future flight if you have to cancel due to illness.
How can I stay safe when traveling?
Vicki Sowards of Passport Health says being prepared is key. She urges travellers to get vaccinated, including COVID-19, before they travel and to prepare a first aid kit, including any medications they use when they are sick.
“You want to be in the best of health when you’re taking the ‘trip of a lifetime,’” she said. Since COVID-19 is spread through airborne particles and droplets, “carry a mask and sanitizer on the plane, in case you have a seatmate or other traveler nearby who is coughing and seems sick. Use hand sanitizer before eating or when you know you’re going to touch your face.”
Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer technology columnist and on-air correspondent. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY. Contact her atJJ@Techish.com.