Late-Summer Travel Plans? YouMight Want to（～したほうがいいかもしれない）Put On a Mask.
With U.S. Covid-19 cases at very high levels and new vaccines still several weeks away, we asked experts for their advice on when and where to wear a mask.
By Ceylan Yeğinsu and Dani Blum
Aug. 14, 2024
As travel has returned to prepandemic levels, many — though not all — travelers have abandoned wearing masks.Credit...Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press
It isthe height of （～の真っ盛り）the summer travel season: Airplanes and cruises are packed, hotels are booked, and travelers are crowding theme parks and attractions. Yet throughout the United States, Covid-19 is currently circulating （広がっている）at very high levels.
During the peak of the pandemic, masks were ubiquitous （おなじみの）in hotels, airports and other public places. They were required （義務付けられていた）to fly, and many travelers donned （着用していた）them elsewhere to help reduce the transmission （感染）of the deadly coronavirus. Since the end of the mandate,（義務付け） and as travel has returned to or surpassed （凌いだ）prepandemic levels, most travelers have abandoned preventive measures, particularly masks.
With updated vaccines not available until the fall, experts are reminding travelers about the benefits of masking, particularly in airports and poorly ventilated indoor environments.
⓵What’s going on with Covid right now? コロナは今どうなっているのか？
⓶How effective are masks? What is the best mask to use? マスクの効果はどのようなものか？最適なマスクは？
③Where should travelers wear a mask? 観光客がマスク着用を求められる場所は？
⓸What is the travel industry’s stance on masking? 旅行業界のマスクに対するスタンスは？
今日は始めの２つをとりあげます。（回答は一部抜粋となります。）
What’s going on with Covid right now?
The number of reported cases appears to be climbing both in the United States and abroad. In the United States, there are “very high” levels of the virus in wastewater samples nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization reported that cases around the globe rose by 30 percent from June 24 to July 21, compared with the previous 28 days. Put simply: There’s a lot of Covid out there.
How effective are masks? What is the best mask to use?
People who want to minimize their risk of respiratory（呼吸器の） illnesses like Covid (along with colds and the flu) should wear a mask while traveling, experts say. Even if you’re the only person wearing one on a train or at an airport, a mask continues to offer protection — provided you wear it properly, which means covering both your nose and your mouth.
“It does not eliminate the risk, but it substantially reduces the risk of exposure,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Healthcare System, in Missouri. Aim for a high-quality mask, like an N95, a KN95 or a KF94, all of which filter out the overwhelming majority of virus particles and are far more effective at reducing the chance of a Covid infection than cloth or surgical versions（外科用のもの）. Masks should fit snugly （ぴったりと）on your face.
“If you have symptoms and you have any question about it, I would wear a mask, just to protect other people,” said Dr. Marc Sala, a co-director of the Northwestern Medicine Comprehensive Covid-19 Center in Chicago. Common symptoms of Covid include coughing, fever,sneezing(くしゃみ）,congestion(鼻づまり）, headaches, sore muscles （筋肉痛）, fatigue（疲労） and gastrointestinal issues（胃腸障害）. Those who are asymptomatic（無症状の）but have been exposed to Covid may also consider masking.
ムラゴン ホーム
