CLINICAL MATTER

Following the declaration of the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 3 that the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic was over, most countries dropped remaining pandemic restrictions on travel. This has resulted in more people embarking on “revenge travel,” causing jampacked airports, full planes, and the unwelcome but familiar crowding of the usual tourist spots. Among those embarking on revenge travel this summer are me and my family. We are currently in the middle of our annual family vacation and we have noticed many significant changes compared to when we traveled together last year.
The night we left Manila there was a bad downpour and it started flooding. Yet another reason to get to the airport a few hours before your flight this summer travel season since bad weather can significantly worsen traffic. PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season the very next day after we left. The airport crowd was a bit better than expected, but this will likely get worse as most schools are now on summer break. Ever since NAIA removed the luggage screening x-rays at the entrance, there has been better flow of people and fewer choke points. Instead of physically filling up departure forms, the e-travel form (etravel.gov.ph) has helped streamline immigration processing. This can be filled up within 72 hours prior to departure or arrival and it generates a QR code that the immigration officer can look up faster. An offshoot of the One Health Pass that was used during the pandemic to monitor the vaccination and health status of incoming passengers, the e-travel form has improved the travel experience for both departing and incoming passengers.
When we traveled to Alaska last year, we still encountered a good number of pandemic restrictions including mandatory masking on the plane, vaccine card checks, and random Covid-19 testing. Reflecting the ingrained pandemic mindset, my children didn’t even want to remove their masks when we got to Anchorage despite the wide-open spaces. This time around, there was much less hesitation in ditching the masks.
We traveled to the US via Incheon on Asiana Airlines. Unlike last year when masks were mandatory in Korea, this time only about 10 percent of people still wear them. Much fewer people were wearing masks on the plane and no one checked tests or vaccine cards anymore. We still wore masks on the plane even though it was no longer required. When we arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) in New York, however, my kids readily removed them after clearing immigration.
Just as we took off our masks, we noticed an orange haze in the air and it smelled like wood smoke. Apparently, the widespread wildfires in Canada had generated an enormous cloud of smoke that was drifting down to the US. Many local governments urged their citizens to cancel non-essential outdoor activities and, to my amazement, wear masks outdoors anew. It seems that masks yet again are showing their protective value, albeit for an environmental hazard and not an infectious disease this time. Indeed, masks save lives!
Our destinations for this trip include Niagara Falls in upstate New York, Erie in Pennsylvania, and Cleveland, Ohio. My son was born in Cleveland when my wife and I were still training at Case Western Reserve University and we wanted to bring him to the city of his birth. I started writing this column in the lobby of the TWA hotel in JFK. The old TWA airport terminal at JFK has been converted to a hotel and it is pretty amazing. The restored facility preserved many of the iconic TWA branding and there is even an old-style analog airline information bulletin board showing pretend flight times. One of the restaurants is built inside an old airplane!
Early the next day, we flew from JFK to Buffalo and drove to Niagara Falls. While my wife and I have been to Niagara Falls multiple times, this was the first time our kids experienced the majesty of the falls. We did the Cave of the Winds tour, which is a hike up to the American side of the falls and we got drenched with hurricane-force water spray. We then proceeded to the Maid of the Mist tour, which is a boat that goes to the front of the horseshoe-shaped falls on the Canadian side. The falls are just as powerful and awe-inspiring as I remember them, and my kids were amazed by the spectacle.
If there is anything this pandemic has taught me, it is that we shouldn’t take the relationships we have made throughout our lives for granted. Hence, we made it a point to meet up with old friends and mentors in Cleveland as part of this trip. Life is too short, and people whom we think we will still get a chance to see in the future may no longer be alive or may have developed a debilitating illness, which limits their ability to interact with other people. The inability to meet physically with loved ones during the pandemic was acutely felt, and the lack of human contact has resulted in a lot of mental illness, depression, and antisocial behavior. While last year’s family trip was largely about getting back to nature, this trip includes stops that are meant to reconnect with people we hold dear.
While most pandemic restrictions have come and gone, there are some welcome innovations that have stayed. Most places are now cognizant of the importance of good ventilation and many businesses have placed air filters in their buildings and improved overall air circulation. Hand sanitizer has become ubiquitous, and employers are much more liberal in allowing sick employees to stay home. Jobs that can be done remotely have decreased commuting time and traffic congestion. Governments are coming up with contingency plans to address future pandemics proactively. Masks have also become an accepted means of protecting oneself against respiratory infections beyond Covid-19. Traveling in this post-pandemic world has become safer, and it also is a good time to reconnect with those we missed terribly when we hunkered down the last three years.