How much coronavirus risk is there in common travel activities? We asked an expert

Travel in the middle of a global pandemic presents challenges, with each activity carrying its own level of risk for coronavirus.

Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the Cleveland Clinic, said some of the biggest questions he’s getting relate to travel activities. 

Khabazza, who treats coronavirus patients, said the primary path of transmission is contacts with respiratory droplets produced by infected people. Face masks, physical distancing, frequent handwashing and cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces have become standard across the travel sector.  

“Every industry has interventions in place to make things safer,” he said.

The Cleveland Clinic has been helping United Airlines develop its coronavirus mitigation policies, including mandatory face masks, touchless kiosks and physical distancing.

“Companies are bringing in outside health experts,” Khabazza said. “That can be a little bit reassuring.”

Khabazza, who’s taking a 500-mile road trip with his family to Long Island, New York, offered his thoughts on the relative risks of different travel activities and best practices.

Air travel

In spite of all the precautions now in place, Khabazza said flying offers the most potential for exposure to the coronavirus, because of the nature of how planes are configured.

“Once you’re in the cabin, you don’t know who’s on the plane,” he said. “You’re in relative closer proximity to people you don’t know.”

Still, he said, flying is safer than it was earlier in the pandemic because of the changes airlines have made.

“It is as safe as they can make it,” Khabbaza said.

In addition to spacing and sanitizing, he said face masks add an extra layer of protection from the virus. Most U.S. carriers now require passengers to wear them.

Coronavirus: Does your airline require you to wear a face mask?

Trains and buses

Surface transportation presents similar challenges to those in aviation, Khabazza said.

“Distancing isn’t always possible to the extent you’d like,” he said. “That’s not going to go away as long as the virus is around.”

Like the airlines, Amtrak and intercity bus operators like Greyhound and Peter Pan Line are requiring passengers to wear face masks. They’re promoting physical distancing when possible and cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces more often.

Cruise ships

Though cruise ships were some of the original hot spots for the coronavirus, Khabazza said when they resume sailing, their risk will be lower with precautions cruise companies are putting in place, as long as passengers and crew members adhere to them.

“It involves buy-in from everyone,” he said.

Cruise ship passengers can stay separate from other groups on the ship by staying in their own rooms. Common areas of the ship offer space for distancing, and outdoor activities are inherently less risky for disease transmission, Khabazza said.