UW Madison Population Health Sciences Professor Says Travelers Should Still Take COVID Precautions

Monday, July 11th, 2022 -- 11:01 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) If you're traveling internationally for your summer vacation, you no longer need to show a negative COVID test to get on a plane.

But you still should be taking precautions. UW Madison Population Health Sciences professor Ajay Sethi says you shouldn't be traveling while you have a respiratory disease. "A lot of people travel to visit family and many people have older family members, and they're the most vulnerable to getting severe COVID. And it's just a good idea to keep them protected and yourself as well."

Sethi says it's important to get your booster shots and vaccines before you make your trip. "In general, when you're traveling, you're putting yourself at risk for anything that's spread through the air. Before COVID, we all remember the sniffles when and the cost we would get after we deplaned."

The US has lifted COVID testing requirements for air travel, but before you head overseas, it's still a good idea to make sure you don't have the disease. "It's still recommended that people test before and after travel. So they can avoid spreading the virus in case they pick it up to others, especially those that they care about or people who they're visiting."

Sethi reminds everyone to get their full array of vaccines and boosters.

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