Air travel, flights, and quarantine

Airplanes and airports are massive hubs transporting thousands of people from all over the world, to other parts of the world. With covid19 happening many people are frantically trying to get back home or to their parents, whichever is more home to them. They are unknowingly taking covid19 with them even when they are not sick. This is because the disease doesn’t show symptoms for up to 14 days, and in some people it doesn’t show symptoms at all (A study on the Princes Cruise ship showed 10% of carriers were asymptomatic. See https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.10.2000180).

Many governments are forcing a mandatory 14 day isolation period on anyway coming in from a flight or international travel. This is exactly the same stance we at Kingdom Houses are taking as well. We require all tenants who travel form abroad to first book an airbnb (studio or 1 bed flat) and isolate themselves for 14 days. Airbnb’s are now cheap because all tourism has dried up so you can get one for not a bad price, and get an even better price if you take it for 14 days. You will need to stay in complete isolation (you cannot leave your house except to go buy food) and only after 14 days, if you did not get sick, is it conclusive that you do not have the virus. If you got sick then you need to wait a further 14 days to allow the virus to fully pass out of your body before you can leave isolation.

Unfortunately we cannot force this on a tenant (legally speaking) but this is our strong advisory and recommendation. If you bring the virus home and ignore the isolation step, then that is on you. We have tried to set the policies and warn people.

To recap

  • Basically: Don’t travel!
  • If you must travel, then isolate yourself when you reach your destination for 14 days.
  • When you return, isolate yourself for 14 days again.
  • Book an airbnb if you must.
  • Don’t be an asshole – think about other people’s health.
  • Consider flying. You are in an airplane with 50 to 100 other people all coughing and sneezing, for hours on end. The only people travelling now as well are the super brave (or shall we say foolish) ones, there is an increased likelihood someone travelling has the virus compared to someone that is practicing quarantine and good social distancing.
  • If you have covid, remember it’s a further 14 days once the symptoms go away.