10 Safety Precautions To Take While Travelling With Kids During COVID-19

Half yearly exams are done and dusted, online (Who would have thought this would be the reality)! Now, the holiday season is upon us and everyone is thinking about taking a break. God knows we deserve it as we are all cooped up at home for almost seven months now! Be it visiting our home towns, a trip to meet our grandparents, staycations or going on a trek or relaxing on a remote home stay - travel is on our minds.

Is it safe to travel with kids during the pandemic?

This is the question on the minds of all parents right now. While most of the travel restrictions imposed by the government have been lifted, the number of COVID-19 cases are still on the rise. And consequently, yes, travel is still risky. Travelling with children, especially little ones, definitely comes with added responsibilities.

However, life goes on, even during a pandemic. And travel is an integral part of it. There may be many unavoidable circumstances where you have to travel with your kids. You may want to visit your family, attend an important event or even take a much-needed holiday.

Things are slowly opening up and there are many standard safety measures being applied in all public places. Even airlines are welcoming families again with hospital-grade air filtration and higher cleaning and social distancing practices.

Talk to your child

But how do you make your little ones understand the need for safety precautions and follow them? The most important thing to do is to talk to your child and make him understand the situation and the risks involved. Then, educate him about the travel etiquette that has to be followed in light of the pandemic.

Read on as we tell you all the necessary precautions you need to take to travel safely with your children and enjoy your time.

What to do when out in the open

When out in the open with people around, the general safety procedures of mask and social distancing has to be maintained.

Carry pocket (small-sized) handy sanitizers and disinfectant wipes. Don't take a family sized one which is difficult to carry around or ends up forgotten in the car (yes, it can happen). Make sure everyone is wearing a mask and gloves at all times. If adults take this seriously, children will emulate the same. Maintain six feet distance from others at all times. Also, get your child in the habit of using a sanitizer regularly well before travelling.

Travel checklist:

If one has a long travel ahead, it may be a good idea to stock up on these. Kids do have a way of magically losing things!

1. Masks: With kids, it's always better to have more than one mask. For younger kids, get ones with cartoons or brightly coloured ones so that they do not complain about wearing it. Make sure the masks have comfortable adjustable ear straps.
2. Gloves: Opt for the thin surgical disposable gloves. Trim your children's finger nails so that they don't tear the gloves
3. Face guards for younger kids
4. A pocket sized sanitizer to sanitize your hands and a sanitizer spray for bathroom breaks
5. Wet wipes
6. Full sleeved clothes as well as sock and shoes - covering up fully is better, airports are anyway cold
7. Non-perishable homemade snacks like sandwiches, khakras and theplas or other finger food that can be stored
8. Games or a book to keep your children entertained and make them sit in one place
9. Extra shawls and blankets
10. Mouthwash, in view of the pandemic. It is better to use one regularly

Air travel

Air travel requires more caution as it involves many people together in a small space. Also, younger children tend to be full of energy and do not stay put in one place. As a result, they may end up coming in contact with multiple surfaces. So, it is important to be cautious. However, all airlines are taking the necessary safety precautions.

"Airlines are giving a sanitizer sachet, mask and face shield for all passengers. Also, there is provision to buy PPE suits while booking the tickets. One can also book double seat to be safe. The extra seat costs less than the price of a full ticket," said Vidyuth Subramanyam who travelled with her nine-year old child recently.

"We travelled earlier this month by flight from Pune to Chennai which also had a six-hour stopover. We were definitely a bit tensed, but we had this check list in place. Firstly, educate the child about the necessary precautions to be taken. The main points to note are not to touch the face, mouth and nose, keep mask and gloves on at all times and sanitise every time you touch any object," explained Vidyuth Subramanyam.

"Airports are following many precautions. The waiting area and toilets were sanitized regularly; I saw a chart in the toilet for every half an hour. The waiting area was mopped and cleaned frequently. There were security personnel in all waiting areas to ensure that social distancing protocols were followed. Also, hands-free sanitizer stations were placed at every 500 meters," she added.

Other means of transport

Be it road trips on taxis, buses or trains - take all necessary precautions. Whenever possible, find out the driver's health background. While in the vehicles, keep your masks on. Keep your windows rolled down in cars and especially in trains and buses. Avoid touching ticketing kiosks, door frames and handles. Do not pick up free newspapers and magazines that are handed out to passengers. Carry your own water bottles and food whenever possible.

Greeting people

Even if your kids want to hug grandparents they haven't seen in six months, avoid hugging, holding and shaking hands and kissing. Encourage nodding, waving, bowing, touching elbows and of course our traditional Indian greeting - the namaste. Here are some guidelines in a cute poster by WHO when greeting friends and family. Click here.

Using elevators

While the same rules and precautions apply, there are a few elevator etiquette that have to be followed. Do not rush into the elevator. If there are grids made for a person, stand in your grid. If there are none, don't overload. Wait for the next turn. Have one person touch the buttons, preferably with their knuckles. Face the front door and do not face people. Also, do not talk while in the elevator, even if you get a phone call. It can wait, you won't be in the lift for long. When you need to exit, announce your floor, so that people can move aside. Ensure little kids do not touch elevator walls and buttons.

Using toilets

Though public washrooms are being cleaned regularly, it is good to carry your own sanitizer paraphernalia. You know how kids are, if they spot a public bathroom, they will want to use it (even if they have used one just half hour before).

"I gave my daughters a sanitizer spray and wet wipes to use. If you want use toilets, make sure you use the sanitizer spray first," said Jyoti Mehta, mother of two girls, age six and twelve.

How to pick a holiday destination?

Many resorts are open and are taking all precautions, but it is good to choose a place that is bound to be less crowded instead of the usual popular choices.

Kavita Poonia, mother of five-year old Navya stated, "Travel in pandemic made us to visit our roots - our village and our farmhouse. We took our own car, the safest option, and needless to say, sanitizers and masks. Although we were headed towards a remote location where there is little fear of pandemic, we made sure that we adhered to all the precautions to be on the safer side. We took all the grocery, vegetables and fruits we would need to cook at our farmhouse as well as snacks and water bottles. It felt so good to be amidst nature in the farm. The kids got a chance to see crops being cultivated and play with farm animals. It was a magical experience. My advice to other parents who are travelling with kids is to avoid visiting crowded places/resorts and choose stand alone villas or homestays in remote location where the risk of the pandemic is lesser."

With some caution and safety measures in place, it is definitely possible to have a good holiday, visit loved ones and take a break. Public authorities can only fight half the battle - the rest of the onus is on each one of us to follow every precautionary measure to ensure a safe journey. Stay safe, stay healthy!

Also Read: What My Child Learnt From Travel

Sharing the wonder of travel with your child

Top 7 Communication Apps When You Are Travelling

About the author:

Written by Vidya Nesarikar on 14 October 2020.

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