Coronavirus and Travel Restrictions On Aircraft: As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe and countries continue to tighten their travel restrictions, questions about where it is possible to travel and whether it is wise to do so have become increasingly complicated.

In an effort to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, in recent days Hawaii and Florida have announced new restrictions on domestic travel, mandating 14-day self-quarantines for some newly arriving visitors.

That followed the United States closing its borders with Mexico and Canada last week. The Canadian and Mexican borders closed to nonessential travel beginning on March 21.

Additionally, the State Department last week raised its global travel advisory to a Level 4, recommending United States citizens not to travel to any other country because of the global effects of the outbreak. This is the agency’s highest advisory.

Experts say you need to stay informed. Here is their advice on some of the most pressing questions facing people who might be considering traveling.

[Read more on travel insurance during the coronavirus pandemic.]
I hear some states have started quarantines for travelers. What’s going on?

After a week in which international travel was largely shut down, restrictions on domestic travel have begun. Hawaii and Florida both sought to cut down on the number of out-of-state travelers by announcing that some newly arriving visitors would have to self-quarantine for 14 days. In Florida, the quarantine only applies to those who fly to the state from New York or New Jersey.

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Beginning March 26, both returning residents and visitors traveling to Hawaii will be subject to the mandatory self-quarantine. Returning residents are instructed to quarantine themselves at home, while visitors have to quarantine themselves at their travel lodging, according to the governor’s office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced his state’s measure on Monday. (It does not apply to people entering the state by car.)

“Hopefully that will be a deterrent for people if you’re just trying to escape here to avoid the restrictions that have been put in place in your own state,” Mr. DeSantis said in a news conference.
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What about other domestic travel? Are there restrictions? Is it safe?

Last week, President Trump said that he could restrict domestic travel to regions of the United States.

When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was considering restricting travel inside the country to hard-hit states like Washington or California, Mr. Trump said the subject had not yet been discussed.

But, he added: “Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot.”

Some hard-hit states have declared a state of emergency or a public health emergency, including Washington, California, New York and Florida. As a practical matter, a state of emergency or a public health emergency does not affect travel — flights are not canceled and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not issue any travel restrictions.

States of emergency are used by local and state governments to help them shift funding, as well as to have the authority to close schools and other facilities.

Those additional powers also mean that travel could be restricted, as Florida and Hawaii have done, if the state or local government thought it necessary, said Jessica Justman, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

“That flexibility that the government then gains might allow the government to lay out certain policies and those policies in turn could easily affect what an individual can do or not do.”

Even though domestic travel has not been restricted, Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, an adjunct professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Cornell University School of Public Health said the most responsible thing is to avoid it.

Dr. Justman said there were two things to think about: “Who you are and who is in your network.”

If you spend a lot of time around older people or someone who has a chronic illness — sections of the population at a higher risk of the coronavirus — traveling domestically would pose a risk to them. But for younger people who are not around those two groups of people, she said: “It’s going to be easier for them to decide to go and visit other cities.”
The State Department issued a Level 4 travel advisory. What does that mean?

A Level 4 advisory is issued when the State Department considers there is a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks” if you travel.

This is the highest warning level that the federal agency can issue, and comes during an emergency, when the federal government may be very limited to assist you while traveling.

The advisory recommends that United States citizens either remain at home, return home as soon as its safe to do so, or stay in place.
But I have a personal emergency, such as a death in the family. What can I do to minimize the health risks?

The more people you come in contact with while traveling, the higher the risk of getting infected with the virus, said Dr. David Abramson, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and the director of the research program PiR2.

“You want to be in a situation where you are least likely to mix with others,” Dr. Abramson said.

That means taking shorter flights and avoiding connections if possible. If your flight is three hours long or less, Dr. Abramson said that staying in your seat for the entire flight might be the best option to limit your contact with other passengers and airplane crew.

“I would recommend using the bathroom in the terminal rather than on the plane if you can manage that,” Dr. Abramson said. The terminal restroom is likely to be bigger and cleaned more often than the one on the airplane, two aspects that minimize the risk of getting infection.

If you encounter the worst case scenario where someone is sneezing or coughing less than six feet away from you (or within the next two rows), you should ask the flight attendant if it’d be possible to change seats to another area of the plane, Dr. Abramson said. If that is not possible, you could also ask the flight attendant to tell the sick passenger to wear a mask, he added.

If you are fortunate to book a window seat, that might be the safest seat of a row, Dr. Abramson said.
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“Prior research has shown that people in window seats come into contact with fewer people and move around less on a plane,” Dr. Abramson said. “ Both of these things are protective.” (He’s referring to this 2018 Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology study.)

And there’s more you could do. While on the plane, you should wipe down any surfaces you are likely to touch such as the seat tray and the seat’s arm rest. If you can avoid touching any surfaces, that’s ideal, Dr. Abramson added. But if you do touch any surfaces while on the plane, washing your hands and not touching your face are even more critical if you are flying.

“Those are the basics,” Dr. Abramson said.
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