We would like to visit my partner's 80 year old father in the Czech Republic who we haven't seen for two years. We haven't flown since before the pandemic, so we are wondering which method of travel would present the least risk of catching Covid.
If we drive, there will be about 9 service station stops plus one nights accommodation, probably in France. Higher risk points on the ferry would be the stairs and restaurant. We would transit Germany.
If we fly, then the airports, car hire and the 2 hour flight are our risky points.
Which would you choose and why ?
No idea overall but if you are looking to minimise contact you don't need to interact or come close to anybody on the tunnel rather than a ferry.
Drive. All the contacts are pretty brief compared to a flight. Avoid people. Eat fast food rather than sit down meals.
Wear an FFP3 mask unless outdoors or in hotel room.
Advantage of flying is fewer COVID border crossings in case regs change in transit countries.
Elderly man can protect himself with FFP3 mask during the visit and visitors can wear unvalved mask during visit for maximum protection if that's acceptable.
I'd fly, because driving presents a higher risk of not being able to go because of changing regs in multiple countries. Wear an FFP3 mask on the flight if concerned, and perhaps stay a night elsewhere and do a couple of LFTs before the actual visit?
> I'd fly, because driving presents a higher risk of not being able to go because of changing regs in multiple countries. Wear an FFP3 mask on the flight if concerned, and perhaps stay a night elsewhere and do a couple of LFTs before the actual visit?
Definitely. Me too
You can get p3 masks without valves, about £5 each, just mask up anywhere in public .
Done both, both have their stresses. Driving - take the ferry at a quiet time, stay outside on deck, (Or go via Holland and have your own cabin), unlikely any service stations will be that busy unless it’s a holiday weekend - anyway, by now, you know how not to catch covid, right? A lot of ever changing border rules to keep track of though - I had a spreadsheet, but that’s just me! Will a test that gets you into Europe still be valid if you need it to get into CZ?
Much the same advice for a flight, don’t fly with a packed budget airline, go at a quiet time, consider business class if you can afford it (more space). That said, I haven’t felt particularly uncomfortable on a plane, pretty much all but one idiot will be wearing a proper mask. Only one set of border requirements to meet. The airlines claim the air is recycled pretty sharpish.
Oh, and however you travel, make a concerted effort not to catch covid in the two weeks before you go!
What risk are you worried about?
I guess 1 and 2 obviously, but have you really considered 3?
At your age its possible that you have been of that group, who through the Pandemic have not really had to go to crowded places, picking your times when to go to the supermarket etc etc. Then I would suggest your vacciniations have not been put to the test. Obviously you maybe an A and E consultant who has been going to Restaurants and Pubs. But worth considering.
You maybe one of the these people who has never had to take a lateral flow test (LFT), ever. If so you could find that the first one, is shortly after you are detected with a high temp when crossing an international border.
I would suggest that as Šlijva says, you be ultra careful in the two weeks prior to travel, and take your temperature and a LFT before travelling to the airport, or boarding a ferry.
Leaving aside other risks of Covid, I would suggest the one place you do not want to test positive, is at an international border.
Personally I would fly, as between your test before flying and arriving at your destination, you have less chance of Covid developing, and when you get to where you are going, isolate for a day or so, then take a LFT.
> Advantage of flying is fewer COVID border crossings in case regs change in transit countries.
I've not travelled in Europe since before Covid....but how are border crossings relevant? Once you're across the channel you're in Schengen all the way to Czech.
Have de facto border crossings sprung up across the continent? Serious question!
Same. Flights are easy logistically, and everyone has, as a minimum, some kind of negative test in the last 48 hours. Equally, the last few flights I have been on have been pretty empty, so easy to spread out, even with budget airlines.
> Have de facto border crossings sprung up across the continent? Serious question!
Yes. For a few months, for instance, British people had been banned entirely from entering France unless they had a very small number of mitigating circumstances, basically "having residency rights in France" and very little else. Other countries have done similar things and often at very short notice.
This hasn't meant physical border crossings, just like it didn't when Wales and Scotland banned the English, but it's easy for Police to catch you due to the UK number plates.
Right at the start of COVID most European countries closed their borders entirely, as they can do temporarily under Schengen.
> I've not travelled in Europe since before Covid....but how are border crossings relevant? Once you're across the channel you're in Schengen all the way to Czech.
> Have de facto border crossings sprung up across the continent? Serious question!
They have existed since Covid began, even controls between states (in the federal republics) regions and cities. Specifically Germany-Czech Republic a buddy who crosses sometimes twice a day says checks are random, sometimes they are there, sometimes not (he's a truckie so it's not relevant to him anyway).
Thanks for all your answers.
We are more concerned about catching Covid on the way and infecting Jana's dad. We have been rather cautious throughout.
If time is no object, could you isolate near your partner's father's address (self-catering?) for a few days, doing LF tests every day, before you meet up? That way, by the time you meet him, you could have greater confidence you had not contracted Covid on the ferry or flight.
Surely viral-load makes driving a much safer bet? Yeah you might have to come into contact with people but it's on your terms and will only be for a short amount of time (e.g. going into a petrol station or services toilet). You're much less likely to catch something nipping in to a petrol station than you are sitting in a room for 2 hours with someone breathing away. It's not one shot, one kill with the virus.
> Have de facto border crossings sprung up across the continent?
Maybe.
https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/scheng...
When a new variant comes along everything can change overnight.
Back when things were just opening up in Summer last year, it was transit only for Brits in Slovenia (toilet stops, petrol on the highway allowed) and Austria. Nothing between DE & AT going south, temporary border checks going into SLO (caused a right back up at the tunnel). Coming back the AT army pulled us over going into the country , checked we had enough petrol and warned us we shouldn't even stop to pee! It's got somewhat better since then.
But Germany have still banned land transit a couple of times since (Delta and Omicron). No border checks but the number plates would have drawn attention.
People on your flight will only definitely have had a test if CZ requires it for entry. Then again, my partner just tested negative 3 hours before a flight on top of a negative pre-departure test and was positive by the time we got home :s so not really sure how much use a 48 hour test is in Omicron reality.