SSince the Robert Koch Institute removed all 63 countries that were still classified as high-risk areas from the list with effect from March 3, long-distance travel has not been easier for two years. In addition, more and more countries overseas are relaxing their entry rules. However, many travel enthusiasts ask themselves one question: How safe is a holiday on another continent?
WELT asked two corona experts about this, and they gave the green light, at least for holidaymakers who were fully vaccinated or recovered: Long-distance travel is “very responsible,” says immunologist Andreas Radbruch, professor of rheumatology at the Berlin Charité and member of the National Academy of the Science Leopoldina. “From an immunological point of view, those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are very effectively protected against their own serious illness.”
Virologist Johannes Knobloch, professor at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, is also cautiously optimistic: “For travelers there is a risk that an illness during the trip could lead to significant restrictions. This risk is currently high, but will decrease in the coming weeks as the number of infections falls.” The decision and responsibility to undertake a long-distance trip “should lie in the hands of the individual person and not be dictated from outside”.
The fact that most overseas travel destinations have defined minimum standards such as 2G plus (fully vaccinated or recovered plus currently tested) provides more security, says Radbruch. In addition, “in many of these countries, the incidences are much lower than in Germany, but the temperatures are higher, which the virus apparently likes less.”
Traveling far away without vaccination protection is a risk
However, the experts advise holidaymakers without a corona vaccination to be cautious. “For unvaccinated people there is a higher risk of developing a severe course of the disease,” says Knobloch. “Each person has to decide for themselves whether they are willing to be treated in a hospital abroad if necessary.”
In other words, long-distance travelers should be aware that in the event of illness they may end up in a hospital whose standard cannot be compared to a German hospital. Holidaymakers should therefore continue to observe protective measures, advises Knobloch: “Distance, staying in the fresh air and mouth and nose protection for close contacts remain fully effective abroad.”
Immunologist Radbruch also points out that unvaccinated people in most countries first have to be quarantined, which is “quite impractical”. He agrees with Knobloch: Traveling to other continents without vaccination protection involves an incalculable personal risk of becoming seriously ill in the event of an infection. Radbruch’s conclusion: “You can do it, but it’s like riding a motorbike without a helmet.”
Risk of infection with Corona on the flight
And does more long-distance travel automatically mean more corona cases in Germany? “Not necessarily,” says virologist Knobloch. “Certainly, a lonely hike far away carries a lower risk of infection compared to attending a mass event domestically.”
A functioning test system is elementary for Radbruch in order to minimize the introduction of the virus so that it does not play a role. However, it is risky “that long-distance travel naturally promotes the spread of new variants, especially those variants that undermine the immunity of those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered, and which are already spreading ‘under the radar’ of surveillance before they are officially noticed”. It is therefore important to determine the virus subtype by means of PCR tests on infected returnees and to trace their contacts.
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Since almost all long-distance destinations can only be reached by long-haul flight, the question of a risk of infection on the plane arises. Both experts consider them to be manageable. “Transmission via aerosols cannot be completely ruled out,” says Knobloch, but “can only be expected in the immediate vicinity of a sick person and not in an entire aircraft.” Because the machines have ventilation systems in which the circulating air is filtered.
This refers to the so-called HEPA filters, which clean the cabin air of impurities such as dust, bacteria and viruses. Fresh air from the outside is added to this processed “recirculation air”, so that according to Lufthansa, for example, in an Airbus, for example, the entire air in the cabin is completely renewed about every three minutes.
Radbruch considers the risk of infection on long-haul flights to be “very low” if only travelers with a current, negative PCR test come on board who are also vaccinated or have recovered. “There is a very high probability that everyone is not infected and will be infectious during the trip.”
The expert even considers the omission of a hygiene regulation that is particularly annoying for many passengers to be conceivable. If the regulations mentioned are met, there is “actually no reason for a mask requirement during the trip”.
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