David J.
Danto
Business travel
thoughts in my own, personal opinion
eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD
NOT Traveling Blog, 3rd
Week Of March 2021
David Danto’s ongoing list of disjointed and occasionally random
observations and thoughts as we wait-out the pandemic – mostly NOT traveling
like we used to.
This past week the US Center for
Disease Control (CDC) finally
issued some guidelines for people who have been vaccinated against COVID19.
The release of these guidelines
was delayed a few times before finally coming out. And unfortunately, in this era of a pandemic of the mostly unknown, they did
not go far enough with information and advice.
The good news is that the CDC has laid-out some common-sense,
logical thinking for interpersonal get-togethers amongst people who have
already been vaccinated. These guidelines
are centered on your family…or household…or “pod” – all terms to describe and
address small groups of people that have been living together in the
same space.
·
A
small vaccinated household can visit indoors with another small vaccinated
household without masks or social distancing.
·
A
small vaccinated household can visit indoors with another partially or
non-vaccinated household without masks or social distancing as long as those
non-vaccinated people are “low-risk” (based on age and pre-existing
conditions.)
·
A
small vaccinated household visiting indoors with a mixed or non-vaccinated
household – where the non-vaccinated are at high risk – must continue to wear
masks and social distance.
Two other
key guidelines that were announced were:
·
Vaccinated
people who find out they were exposed to someone with COVID19 but who do not
show any symptoms do not need to quarantine anymore.
·
Travel is still not recommended at this time. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky
specifically stated at a White House briefing that, "…every time there's a surge in travel, we have a surge in cases
in this country…"
That last
one predictably has airline
companies in a snit. The industry group Airlines for America (likely
renamed from the Professional Liars Club)
has already issued a statement claiming again that air-travel represents a low
risk. They’re obviously relying on the Defense
Department research done last year (which I showed as severely flawed in my blog last
October.) The airlines will always
go out of their way to show why anything they don’t like is ‘wrong’ and anything that lines their
pocket is ‘right’ with any logic and
facts always twisted to meet their objectives.
The only difference from their usual standard procedure during this
pandemic situation is that a majority of people have now recognized that the airlines
are serial liars and have ignored their BS.
As I said in that October blog, “The
airline CEO / President and his family needs to show me video of them boarding
and flying a standard commercial flight in coach. When they believe it is safe enough to risk
themselves and their families then I’ll believe them when they say that it’s
safe enough for me and my family.”
Ultimately, most everyone who looks at the guidance will develop
their own post-pandemic strategy based-upon their own comfort level with
risks. Where the directives are not
specific they will create their own plans.
That has begun to happen already.
Just as the airlines have already said they disagree with just the part
that effects them, people will also likely disagree based on their own
self-serving logic. “Most of us are vaccinated, so that’s OK.” “Yes, my kids are not living with us but they’re
not sick so it’s OK that we’re not in the same household.” “Disneyworld is open so it must be safe to go
there.” Sadly, human nature often
shows that people hear what they want to hear, not what they should have heard –
which essentially makes the guidelines moot.
It is then fair to conclude that – while we are closer to the end of the
pandemic – we are likely not out of it yet.
As always, please feel
free to write to me with comments or items I should add to a future Not
Traveling blog (or if you just need someone to write to.) Stay safe, be well, hug those you’re
sheltering with (but no one else) and do your best to stay positive. We’re going to be in this for a while
longer.
This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal
opinions.
All image and links provided above as reference under
prevailing fair use statutes.
++++++++
The Explanation
for my Not Traveling blogs: In 2014 I was voted
by USA Today readers as one of the top ten business travel bloggers in the
USA. Now mind you,
I turned out to be number ten on the list of ten, but I did make it on (with my
thanks to all those who voted.) Now
that we’re all stuck at home and not traveling, I had to think about what to do
with my blogs. I could stop writing them
entirely – waiting till we all get through the current COVID19 pandemic /
crisis. I could wax nostalgic and/or
complain about past trips. Or, I could
focus all of my efforts on my day job – growing the use of collaboration
technologies – especially in light of how many people are now forced to use
those tools for the first time. In
reflecting upon those choices, what I decided to do is compile an ongoing list
of observations during the crisis. Some
of these may amuse, some may inform, some may sadden and others may help. My goal will be for you to have seen
something in a different light than you did before you stopped to read the
blog. I was going to apologize for how
disjointed these thoughts may seem when put together, but then it dawned on me
that feeling disjointed is our new normal – at least for a little while.