Have Vaccine Will Travel?
The Midweek Conversation
With the success of Covid vaccinations (Yay, Science!) we are beginning to see restrictions be eased and lifted. The airplanes are full, hotel rates are spiking, and there is the bursting of pent-up demand to hit the open road, visit family and friends not seen in years, and just get back to some semblance of “normalcy.” However, a dangerous new variant lurks, and in many areas the vaccine rates are distressingly low.
So for today’s conversation we want to know where you are in your summer plans. A while back, we asked on Twitter for favorite places — either already visited or aspirational. The flood of ideas and images was inspiring.
So let’s pick up the discussion here.
Have you traveled during the pandemic?
Do you plan to travel in the future? Domestically, internationally?
Do you feel safe traveling?
How will you decide when it’s safe to travel?
Are you in the tourism business, or is it important to your local economy?
Let’s open up our memories, hopes, and spirit of wanderlust. I always love reading what you in the “Steady Community” have on your minds, and in your hearts.
—Dan and Steady Team
Some ground rules for these Wednesday chats (and also the comments sections on other posts):
I want a space where people feel safe to express their views, as long as they are offered in good faith.
I want a space where ideas can be challenged, especially my own.
I want debate. But I want it to be civil.
I want people to come here with open minds, and open hearts.
I want this to be fun as well as serious.
We can agree to disagree without being disagreeable.
I won't be travelling until September when I'll be visiting my elderly brother who is battling cancer. He and most of his extended family has been vaccinated, as have I, so I'm feeling somewhat safe. The next trip will be around Christmas time when I'll be visiting my children and mostly grown grandchildren - but only if they have all been vaccinated.
My one daughter and her family have yet to get vaccinated, much to my dismay. But, then their favorite source of "news" is from Fox, again, much to my dismay, so they don't believe the vaccine is safe, necessary, or that-big-a-deal - even though both that daughter and g-daughter have had COVID back in January. Her hesitancy is in spite of the fact that my other daughter was hospitalized in serious condition with COVID last Christmas (is doing well now, thank you) and her son was ill with COVID at college last September; my son and his wife and daughter all had COVID, and my daughter-in-law's father and uncle both died from COVID. I don't understand why anyone refuses to get vaccinated - especially now that the delta variance is so much more contagious and deadly, and the fact that over 99% of deaths currently are of unvaccinated people.
I am 75 years old, strong and relatively healthy, was fully vaccinated in early February, and still wear a mask when in public - and will continue to do so until COVID-19 is ancient history.
We finally drove the 4.5 hours to our summer home. Though fully vaccinated, we are not at all ready to do any other traveling. But that’s fine!
My big issue is the amount of traveling my closest family members do - who are not vaccinated!!! I can say no more to them without damaging our relationship. However, I get no definitive advice as to how safe it is for us to be together (they are the only family I have nearby).
All I know for sure is that this isn’t over yet!!