Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

STAY SAFE WHILE TRAVELING

Tips to keep Kamloops travelers safe from the coronavirus

Mar 2, 2020 | 4:48 PM

KAMLOOPS — The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, has been a hot topic all across the globe — while the virus has garnered a great deal of attention, the number of people who’ve contracted the virus is still relatively low.

However, with spring break approaching, the number of travelers is likely to increase, so CFJC Today decided to find out how the virus might be affecting travel plans, and what travel hubs like airports are doing to help prevent the spread.

They’re everywhere. Communal surfaces that get touched countless times each day. In a place like the Kamloops Airport, travelers can easily pick up what someone else may have put down before them. With the coronavirus top of mind, there are precautions travelers can take to make sure the only thing they bring back from their trip is memories.

“We’ve increased the cleaning of the washrooms, cleaning of all the touchpoints — doors, ticket counters, things like that — where people come in contact with,” Ed Ratuski, Managing Director of the Kamloops Airport explains. “[We’re] making sure we have a lot of hand sanitizer available in the airport.”

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Travelers are being reminded of good hygiene habits as fear continues to spread much faster than the actual virus. So far, one local travel agency hasn’t seen significant disruption in most travel plans.

“We have had a couple of cancellations. People are changing [plans], but often they’re just changing to a later date,” Sonja Thomas, Vision Travel Branch Manager explains. “Other than that, just a lot of questions.”

Thomas believes that after some of the high-profile cases of COVID-19, it’s become more of a priority to keep travelers safe.

“We’ve seen some crazy things happen on a couple of cruise lines, but they were right at the beginning,” Thomas says. “Now, countries are getting a handle on it; the airlines are getting a handle on it, the cruise lines. Hopefully, we’ll see less and less of that.”

Ratuski says there are essential measures travelers should take to protect themselves:

“Hygiene. Hand sanitation, not touching your mouth or ears, or eyes. That type of stuff,” Ratuski says. “Just be careful what you’re putting your hands on and take those measures as you’re traveling.”:

He also recommends staying up to date on any travel advisories by accessing the most up-to-date information from the Government of Canada.

“Go on the Global Affairs [Canada] website. That’s where the most up-to-date information for travelers is,” Ratuski says. “[There’s also] destinations they want people to avoid, or places that are safe to travel to.”

And if you do make a trip to a country with confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus? The BC Centre for Disease Control suggests residents who travel overseas should monitor their health while abroad, and after they return. If those travelers have any cold or flu-like symptoms, they should stay away from others, and contact their healthcare providers for more information on next steps.