Traveling outside Santa Clara County during the coronavirus pandemic poses public health risks, but can also help alleviate mental health and isolation concerns, said some San Jose State students.
County health officials issued a travel directive in November that required people traveling more than 150 miles outside the county to quarantine for 14 days.
The directive was lifted when the county moved to the red tier on March 3.
Chemistry sophomore Janine Bugayong traveled to Hawaii with her boyfriend and his immediate family in November and said she didn’t mind traveling while adhering to safety guidelines.
“I would say that traveling was worth it, as long as you follow the precautions required for COVID,” Bugayong said in a phone call. “I believe that people should be able to enjoy their lives amidst a pandemic, while staying safe of course.”
Bugayong said people should be able to have a break from being at home.
“It was nice to have a change in environment, as it can be difficult to have to shelter in place for so long,” Bugayong said. “I would definitely recommend other people to take a break if they can as long as they are being smart, respectful and safe.”
Like Bugayong, psychology junior Lucas Domingo said people need time to rest and take a break but he doesn’t like the idea of traveling outside the county because it could increase the spread of the virus.
“Within the time of COVID-19, I do feel like the idea of travel is extremely risky,” Domingo said. “We don't want to be a carrier of the virus, passing it on to many others, leading many of us choosing to stay at home.”
Domingo said he understands it’s important to take a mental health break, but also feels there are different ways to relax and recharge.
“There are so many other ways to gain the needed rest and general break from it all, while still abiding by health precautions,” Domingo said. “Take a nice drive, FaceTime friends when you can and if you do go on a hike or small leisurely break, please make sure to have a mask on at all times and keep your distance.”
Marcelle Dougan, an SJSU health science assistant professor and a director of the Valley Medical Center Foundation in San Jose, said traveling during a pandemic can be risky because of new COVID-19 variants.
“We're seeing new variants that are, not necessarily, more virulent and more transmissible,” Dougan said in a Zoom interview. “We don't know a lot about the virus [and] we're still learning.”
Two cases of the COVID-19 variant discovered in South Africa were identified in Santa Clara and Alameda counties last month. The carriers of the variant experienced symptoms after returning from international travel, according to a Feb. 10 Santa Clara County Public Health Department news release.
Dougan said traveling can be a good escape from the stresses of life as long as people respect social distancing guidelines and practice COVID-19 safety protocols.
“We look at whether the risks outweigh the benefits and at a time when we're having a disease,” Dougan said. “[Before people travel] I recommend to assess the risk and look at how you're going to get there . . . it's all about risk minimization.”
