Much as you may be bored with staying home, the decision to travel during this time is a difficult one. Experts recommend avoiding all non-essential travel. Any travel, says the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. But if you still need—or want—to get away, Mirna Mohanraj, MD, a pulmonologist with the Mount Sinai Health System, answers some of your questions about staying in hotels and vacation rentals like Airbnbs during the pandemic.

Is it safe to travel? How should I decide where to go?

The CDC states that travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. You should stay home if you have any COVID-19 symptoms, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, are waiting for COVID-19 test results, or were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19.

There’s never been a better time for a staycation. But, if you do want to travel, talk with your doctor about your personal risk and try to avoid areas that are experiencing an increase in new COVID-19 cases. Also, the CDC provides detailed guidelines on personal precautions to reduce your chances of getting and spreading the virus.

Should I stay at a hotel or a rent an apartment?

Both options may increase your risk of getting and spreading COVID-19. Hotels have the added challenge of high-traffic areas like lobbies, elevators, gyms, restaurants, and other common spaces. For this reason, it may be better to stay at a non-shared facility like an Airbnb. Airbnb has posted its safety guidelines to help travelers and hosts know what to expect. For hotels, safety precautions vary. Be sure to inquire about your specific lodging place before arrival.

How do I pick a safe place to stay?

To find a place that meets your comfort level, do your research in advance. Check the hotel or vacation rental website to see if it is following the guidelines issued by the CDC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Also, check that the facility is adhering to any state or local guidelines for cleaning and disinfection. In general, the location should follow special protocols between guests as well as throughout the day. They should be especially careful about disinfecting high contact surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, and elevator panels.

It is also important that the location screens staff daily for COVID-19 symptoms as well as follows guidelines for social distancing and wearing masks/appropriate protective gear. Opt for facilities that have committed to reduced occupancy and contactless check-in/check-out and inquire if there is a minimum vacancy period or ‘booking buffer’ between guest departures (Airbnb recommends 72 hours. This may be based on studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet have shown that the virus can live on hard surfaces for up to three days. So, even if a facility does not perform enhanced cleaning perfectly, this should leave adequate time for the virus to die.). Ask if you can text message hotel services rather than communicate in person during your stay. And, check if the facility has contactless room service as your hotel room is the safest place to eat.

Once you arrive, you may find that your hotel experience is different than what you are used to. Some hotels are sealing guest rooms prior to arrival to show that they are following cleaning protocols. Your room may also be stocked differently and may not contain items that are difficult to disinfect, such as robes and blankets. If your hotel/vacation rental is following all the appropriate guidelines, it should be safe to use whatever materials are in the room.

How can I protect myself?

As with everything else during this pandemic, it is best to be prepared. Bring plenty of face coverings and hand sanitizer. You can’t be sure that your hotel or vacation rental will provide these. Avoid face-to-face encounters whenever possible and wear a face covering as soon as you leave your room. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Try to avoid any common areas, such as gyms, restaurants, and lobbies, and only use your private bathroom. If you find yourself in a common area, be sure to keep six feet away from everyone outside your travel party.

There should be adequate ventilation—even with air conditioning—so, it’s always good to open windows and/or doors for better air circulation. If you’re concerned about disinfection protocol, you can bring your own cleaning supplies. You may even want to personally wipe down high contact surfaces in your room like remote controls, faucet handles, light switches, hangers, and doorknobs.

Is it safe to visit the hotel’s restaurant?

You might want to decide this in advance. Before you leave home, I recommend checking the hotel restaurant website to review its COVID-19 practices including personal protective gear for hosts and servers.

‘Grab and Go’ stations are safer than a sit-down meal and dining in a distanced open-air location is better than indoor service. But, if you do decide to eat in, avoid buffets, self-serve, and valet parking. Also, ask about safety protocols in advance. Is the restaurant limiting occupancy or making an effort to distance diners?  Are digital menus available? Can you order and pay via mobile device?

Is the hotel’s pool safe?

Being in a swimming pool or open water is unlikely to increase your risk of contracting COVID-19 as long as you maintain appropriate personal protective habits: frequent and appropriate handwashing after touching high-contact surfaces, face covering outside the water, and social distancing both in and out of the water.

However, before you enter the pool, inquire about the facility’s safety protocols. Is the location using enhanced cleaning and restricting capacity? Also, ask about the cleaning of shared equipment, such as bicycles and beach chairs, between guests.

If you have any other questions, check out the CDC website for full guidelines on travelling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York State has been on PAUSE—a period of sheltering in place and the closing of non-essential businesses—since Sunday, March 22, in order to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that the state has significantly decreased its new cases of the novel coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have begun to ease restrictions. While this is a very positive sign of progress, reopening may cause some anxiety for many New Yorkers who have been keeping their distance from others.

Dana S. Mazo, MD, MSc, an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Disease) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and  physician lead for Infection Prevention at Mount Sinai Queens, explains how to safely transition to a more bustling New York City and what you need to know about protecting yourself as the city and state reopen.

How can New Yorkers prepare for reopening?

It’s completely reasonable to be anxious; we are in unchartered waters. When we stop sheltering at home, life will not go right back to how it used to be—we will enter a new normal. The good point here is that we have been practicing all of the measures we need to take to keep us safe for this ‘new normal’ during the PAUSE. Once we can go outside for more non-essential reasons, we should continue to practice social distancing, wear a mask, clean high-touch surfaces such as door knobs, and practice good hand hygiene. Those are the key behaviors that everyone can do to remain safe.

Additionally, the Mayor and the Governor will reopen the city and state in stages. This will give us time to adapt to the changes so that you can keep yourself, your loved ones, and the people around you safe.

If I am wearing a mask, do I need to continue to practice social distancing?

It is important to keep doing all of the preventative behaviors—including social distancing—regardless of whether you are wearing a mask. The most important role of the mask is to protect the people around you because, even if you are not exhibiting symptoms, you can still be infected with and spread the coronavirus.

The virus is spread via respiratory droplets. So if you are talking, singing, coughing, or shouting without being masked, the droplets can spread from your mouth to someone else. Wearing a mask reduces the spread but doesn’t stop it completely. That’s why wearing a mask alone is not sufficient. You should still practice social distancing—try to keep more than six feet away from other people—and wash your hands.

Hand washing is one of the most important measures that you can do to prevent spreading or contracting the coronavirus. Not only can droplets spread through close, unmasked talking, but droplets can fall on surfaces. If someone touches the surface where infected droplets have fallen and then touches their face, it is possible for them to contract the virus. Additionally, it is very important to stay home if you’re not feeling well, especially if you have a fever, cough, or headache.

While I am excited to get back outside, I am concerned about large, crowded areas. Are there special precautions I should take to protect myself?

The good thing is that your likelihood of becoming infected with the coronavirus outside is less than your likelihood of contracting the virus inside. When you’re outside, there is usually more space so it is easier to social distance likely that you are going to touch the same surfaces as other people.  it’s much less likely that you are going to touch the same surfaces as other people, like when you are riding a crowded subway, eating in a restaurant, or going to the movies.

So, being outside is good not just for your peace of mind and enjoyment, but also because it is harder to spread coronavirus. That said, it is still possible to contract coronavirus outside, even if the risk is less than when you are indoors.  So, you should still practice social distancing by trying to avoid large groups and to not spend a lot of time around people who you haven’t already been sheltering in place with.

How is Mount Sinai preparing to return to normal operations?

Mount Sinai has been working very hard to make sure that we can safely return to more normal operations. Staff, as well as patients, are required to wear masks while on the premises, and we have made sure that patients can socially distance while in lobbies and waiting rooms.

Additionally, we actively screen both staff and patients for symptoms of the virus.

When patients receive their pre-appointment reminder, they are screened for symptoms  and—when they come in for the appointment—their temperature is measured and they are again screened for active symptoms. When appropriate, before high-risk procedures, we will test our patients for COVID-19.

Mount Sinai is also thoroughly cleaning high-touch surfaces like door knobs and elevator buttons—both in the hospital and in the ambulatory clinics—and ensuring there is hand sanitizer easily available throughout our facilities. You will see the dispensers everywhere.

If your reason for coming is COVID-19, we will address that appropriately.

Mount Sinai is working hard to make sure that our patients can safely receive treatment. If you are sick and you need to go see your doctor or visit the emergency room, do not put your health on hold. We want all of our patients get the care that they need.

Just about everything in our lives has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in crowded metropolitan areas like New York. One of the more visible changes is that face coverings have become a part of everyday life. Bernard Camins, MD, MSc, Medical Director for Infection Prevention for the Mount Sinai Health System, offers some basic guidelines on face coverings.

Why should I wear a face covering?
Since early April, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended that people wear cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measure are difficult to maintain, such as when grocery shopping. Shortly afterwards, the governors New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut ordered people to follow the CDC recommendations.

Do I need to use a face mask like the ones I see doctors and nurses wearing?

No. In order to preserve supplies of face masks certified for use by health care workers, the directives require only that you cover your face.

What is the best face covering for me?

Anything that covers your nose and mouth while you are in public is what is recommended in order to prevent the spread of the infection. It can be a handkerchief or a scarf or a bandana. You can make something out of cloth. The CDC has provided plenty of helpful tips. You do not want something that can make you short of breath. There can be shortages of masks for some hospitals and health care institutions, which is why it’s best if you use something other than a medical grade face mask.

What do I need if I am going to Mount Sinai for care?

All staff at Mount Sinai will be wearing medical face masks. If you arrive with a face covering that is not a medical face mask, we will provide you with a medical face mask. If you brought your own medical face mask, you may keep that on during your visit.

Can I reuse my cloth facial covering?

Yes. But you should be aware that the CDC suggests cloth face coverings be washed daily. If you are reusing a facial covering, rather than throwing it away, you should be careful when you take it off, as it may have become contaminated, and you should wash your hands afterwards. Having more than one cloth face covering is recommended.

I have heard a lot about N95 respirators. Do I need one of those?

No. Those masks are specifically designed for health care workers. They must be properly fitted for health care workers in order to guard against breathing in the tiny virus particles that cause the COVID-19 infection while caring for patients who are infected.

Why do I need a face covering?

Wearing a face covering is mostly to prevent you from infecting others by preventing the spread of respiratory droplets that carry the virus when you cough or sneeze. This is important because you may be infected but not know because you do not show any symptoms. Wearing a covering on your face can also provide some protection to you against being infected by others. The COVID-19 disease is transmitted by tiny virus particles in the droplets that come from our mouth or nose when we cough or sneeze. A secondary and less common method of transmission is when these particles land on surfaces people touch, like a checkout counter at the store or a cell phone, and then touch their eyes, nose, or mouth, allowing the virus to spread. We maintain social distance so that if someone should cough or sneeze, these virus particles will fall towards the ground and not come close enough to allow us to breathe them in or to land on our clothing.

Should everyone wear a face covering?
Yes, except for children under the age of 2 or elderly people or others who may have trouble breathing.

I saw face masks advertised online. Is it okay to buy them?

You may be able to buy masks at the store or online. But you should be aware that there are some counterfeit masks on the market.

My glasses are fogging up when I wear a face covering. Any suggestions?  

This has been an issue for some people. Some research recommends cleaning your glasses carefully with soapy water and making sure they are dry before putting them on. Fogging can happen as you breathe out and the air goes upward towards your glasses, so you could also try ensuring the covering is tighter above your nose.

Seeing people in the community wearing face coverings makes me uncomfortable. What can I do?

People must change their thinking, their mindset about face coverings and realize that this is just a new part of our lives. It is something we need to become comfortable with in order to prevent the disease from spreading.