Living with Corona and Travel

“All of us have to learn to live with Corona as any remedy or vaccine for the same is going to take its own time”, is the consistent feedback from all the experts and leaders. During these difficult times, Indian government’s initiatives in bringing stranded citizens abroad by air (AI’s Vande Bharat mission) or sending labourers/people stuck up during lockdown to their home states by Shramik special trains (with Sleeper class) or running special Rajdhani type trains (with AC class)- supported by state/local governments transportation arrangements are all commendable. Government sources always claim that safety guidelines are being followed. But it is also to be monitored by the governments whether any Covid-19 positive cases resulted after such travel(s), despite precautions.
Recent first hand experiences (good or bad both) of such travellers themselves (especially those who had travel time of 8-10 hours or more), will be of immense help to all as well as government and can guide us into the future. By now it is evident that travelling is a necessity (and not a luxury). Local circles can appeal to such travellers to share their actual experiences with respect to the following aspects:
- Seating arrangement (middle berth/seat vacant/alternate vacancies?);
- Sanitization arrangements;
- Whether social distancing practically achieved throughout (till destination);
- Whether travellers were wearing masks throughout their travel (appears to be very difficult) or at least while seating/ approaching fellow passengers;
- Condition of toilets- cleanliness, flushing, sanitization especially as the destination was approaching;
- Whether & how food (if any) was provided, cleanliness of seats/berths and space in between after taking food and arrangement of disposal of trash;
- In the absence of any blankets/bedsheets, whether cabin/bogie atmosphere was bearable (AC) or too cold for sensitive/senior passengers;
- Any other helpful experiences, future dos and don’ts they can share. more