DES MOINES, Iowa — As schools begin to close for spring break, some doctors in the metro suggest if people are planning to travel they still need to stay safe and practice COVID-19 safety precautions.
The doctors noted traveling is not the time to let your guard down in the fight against the virus.
"According to [the] CDC, we are supposed to get tested three days prior to travel to make sure I don't have COVID now within me," Dr. Yogesh Shah, Chief Medical Officer at Broadlawns Medical Center, said.
Acording to Dr. Barba Hodne, Chief Quality Officer at The Iowa Clinic, there are some fears in the medical community that after spring break, positive cases could rise.
"You know we do get concerned about another surge of the coronavirus," she said. "We have more contagious strains in the United States now so we know that that is true."
One way to try and keep another surge from happening is to travel by car instead of plane over spring break.
"So it is still a higher risk to fly on an airplane, on the airlines, than it is to say travel in your own car with your household contacts," Hodne added.
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Once an individual does get to their destination, Dr. Anna Holzer, Chief Quality Officer at DoctorsNow Medical Care, said it's best for people to practice what health officials have been saying for nearly a year.
"We do ask that people do their best to maintain a six-foot distance from others [and] wear their masks while in public places," she noted.
It's also best to avoid large crowds.
Shah said if a person recently received a COVID-19 vaccine, wait a few days before traveling so the antibodies from the vaccine make their way through the body.
All three doctors noted: if a person comes back from traveling and is experiencing coronavirus symptoms or was exposed to the virus, they should stay isolated until they are tested.
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