As many Americans learned this summer, just because the pandemic is over doesn’t mean it’s over.
Omicron subvariants were highly contagious, Those who have avoided contracting the coronavirus for more than two years can no longer outrun it, and even those who have been vaccinated are canceling trips, quarantining abroad, or revising their itineraries. I was forced to Those who have already been hit by covid have been hit again.
The good news: Thanks to boosters and immunity from past bouts of coronavirus, we are much better protected from serious complications.
The bad news: These minor infections will ruin your long-awaited plans.
As the holiday season draws to a close, many are looking back on memorable trips beyond just bad sunburns.The Washington Post asked readers to share How did you weigh the risks while enjoying a long-awaited trip with your loved ones? Here’s their story:
once-in-a-decade opportunity
Deborah and Delmar Harris Ever since I was a child, I dreamed of seeing a passion play.Elaborate 5 hours A play about the life of Jesus is staged in a small German town once every ten years. Oberammergau.
A 70-year-old couple from Gaithersburg, Maryland I felt that the 2022 re-performance might be the last chance. They booked a 12-day Viking River cruise around Europe so they could see a play in June.
They watched in awe as doves swooped across the stage and the actor who played Jesus and two thieves were crucified. They enjoyed his three-hour indoor dinner with hundreds of guests. That’s where they suspect they’ve contracted covid, despite having two booster shots each.
Mandatory by cruise ships Visiting Budapest and Slovakian capital Bratislava to disembark during a scheduled stop in Vienna and quarantine in a hotel for 10 days, I missed the opportunity to view the rolling hills of the Wachau Valley from the top deck of the cruise liner. Instead of going to a Mozart and Strauss concert, the couple celebrated their 49th anniversary by secluded themselves in their hotel room.–with stem A box of red rose and apple strudel.
They are still pressuring travel insurance companies to reimburse the unexpected hotel bill and about $3,000. $7,000 for the portion of the cruise they missed.
However, they do not regret their decision.
“You have to live your life,” said Deborah Harris.
Inherited Mancation
The terrifying second line showed up for a rapid coronavirus test the day after Jeff Smith arrived at a friend’s house in Seattle. Now the men faced a choice: their mancation continue?
They canceled their 2020 annual Gaming, Grill and Geek rally because of the pandemic, and the 2021 rally has been moved from Seattle to Chicago, where Smith lives. I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer.
This year, they recognized that even though Smith is in remission, time with him will always be precious. all 10 friends I decided to stay wearing a mask.
Seven people eventually tested positive and most experienced mild symptoms such as fatigue. Smith, 44, said she couldn’t taste the barbecue, but her symptoms weren’t much different from the runny nose and coughing side effects of her cancer drugs.
It wasn’t the best trip to debut a complex few hours of board games. So they stuck to simple, familiar games, such as spring-loaded monkeys tossing coconuts into buckets.
Coming home was more difficult. Online infrastructure Mr. Smith, who can work remotely as his engineering manager, remained at his friend’s home until his symptoms abated. Those who had inflexible work and childcare schedules stuck to regular flights and wore masks while contracting the coronavirus.
After all, Smith said airlines and government agencies have not made it easy or affordable to change plans because of covid.
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Youngest didn’t get vaccinated in time for flight
Infection of elderly parents
Newly diagnosed Deb Trevor went straight to her parents’ spare bedroom to isolate her 60th wedding anniversary in South Carolina from turning into a super-spreader event. Covid was already a thorny subject for a home divided by politics.
Trevor, visiting from Colorado, said relatives dismissed her coronavirus concerns when she wasn’t feeling well earlier in the day. Some people at the reunion questioned the value of masking because everyone is vaccinated. Her one of her previously infected siblings said her covid was over and was convinced she was infected. I’m fine with her.
To Trevor’s horror, her 82-year-old mother occasionally burst into the room, unmasked. Her 87-year-old father also contracted COVID-19, and after her mother still took no precautions, Trevor gave up isolating to care for them. Her mother also fell ill. Shortly after taking her postponed flight home, Trevor drove back to South Carolina in her car. That’s when her mother was hospitalized with numbness on her left side. COVID–Related.
Trevor She thinks the best thing she can do is keep vaccinated parents up to date on boosters.
“I’d rather live closer,” she said.
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Popped into town but forced to reunite on Zoom
29 relatives on a beach trip. Half got sick.
Corinne Edwards’ sister had just tested positive. Overlooking the Chesapeake Bay and figuring out what to do.
Twenty-nine relatives, including seven of Edwards’ brothers, lived in two adjacent houses. Only 3 days left for Family Beach Week. All were vaccinated.
The trip continues: They wear masks indoors, eat outdoors at picnic tables, Isolate the infected person in a separate bedroom.
The next day, Edwards fell ill. in total, 14 family members have tested positive, and some have gotten so sick that they are barely able to get out of bed.
Edwards’ mother felt guilty that the get-together had become a super-spreader event, but her children assured her they were happy to be reunited.
“I told my mom, ‘I’ll never forget 2022,'” said Edwards, 44.
Besides, she wasn’t as bad as when stomach bugs hit another family gathering.
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23 hours drive
“Oh my god,” Sabrina Gilmore heard her husband, John. said from the hotel bathroom where he was undergoing a rapid coronavirus test.
It was like their 3 days big record scratch Week-long trip to San Diego for my teenage son’s first cardistry tournament Gilmore I’ve been on a plane since the pandemic started.
Their 17-year-old son, Lucas, was also infected and had to skip the final day of the convention due to the art of Trump’s non-magical display.
John decided to spend Father’s Day alone in his hotel room, and decided to book a rental car and head back to the Seattle area so he wouldn’t have to fly. while contagious.
They left a day ahead of schedule and stopped at Crater Lake, a stunning volcanic lake in Oregon’s only national park. 2 day trip to Washington state. When they got home, Sabrina tested positive.
John said he was trying to “do the right thing” and limit the spread.do so It required a 23-hour trip, cost $328.86 in a rental car, and skyrocketed gas prices in the summer. They were unable to get a refund for their flight.
“I’m sure the majority of people are jumping on the plane and doing their best,” Sabrina added. “Or they don’t care.”
Just before the holidays, the virus hits
Stuck Abroad — With Travel Insurance
Patricia Johnson liked Portugal’s coronavirus-cautious culture She and her husband spent four weeks scouting the country for a break in expat life. Texas — A place where vaccines and masks are far less prevalent. An African-American couple was looking for a new home where they would feel welcome and safe, sheltered from the racism they experienced in the United States.
Her husband became ill with headaches and coughing attacks towards the end of the trip, but tested negative the day before the flight. That’s when Patricia, 59, tested positive — Due to international flight requirements at the time, I was stuck and unable to check in for my flight.
If you’re lucky, VRBO hosting The Johnsons canceled at the last minute and allowed them to isolate themselves in another apartment day to day. The fare difference for the rescheduled flight reached almost $1,000. Luckily, the couple had travel insurance which covered the extra cost of accommodation and airfare.
Johnson spent the quarantine battling brain fog and a cough that left him short of breath at times.
The Johnsons are already planning a return trip to Portugal in October and are opening bank accounts to prepare for the move. I am planning to buy.
“Portugal scores well overall.” Johnson Said. “It was a really lovely experience — except for covid.”
Since her parents died, it has been important for Ann Haber to see her two brothers and their families every year.
The 61-year-old Arizona resident had just recovered from COVID-19. She was well-timed so that our trip to Seattle was not disrupted. Or so she thought. She had tested negative before boarding the plane and had a stuffy nose and sore throat, so she was wearing an N95 mask. However, she tested positive after her arrival, and she was torn between the possibility of infecting her family and her fellow passengers if she returned home.
The Habers decided to celebrate safely instead.
The VRBO property had a detached cottage. she was able to isolate. She wears a surgical mask over her KN95 near her family and I ate alone at another table. We all wore masks, canceled day trips, and kept the windows closed when in the same car.
No one else got sick. After six days, Harbor felt better, When she got home wearing an N95 mask, she was still testing positive.
Her brother John Haber, 68, said the reunion might have been canceled if a close relative was immunocompromised. If it was winter, or if his sister had to stay in the same house.
“My general takeaway was that this could be what the future looks like.” Jonathan said. “This is a situation that many people get into from time to time, and you can manage it.”
