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The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

The official student newspaper of Walter Johnson High School

The Pitch

What does traveling during COVID look like?

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  • Dulles Airport on Dec. 4 during the afternoon. The aviation industry as a whole has suffered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • A hand sanitizer station near the AeroTrain station of Dulles Airport on Dec. 4. Many such stations were spread all throughout the airport to help reduce the chance of a coronavirus infection.

  • An empty AeroTrain car at Dulles Airport. The automated system transports passengers between different areas of the airport.

  • The B Gates concourse of Dulles Airport on Dec. 4, mostly empty. The concourse serves numerous international carriers, many of which have reduced operation in the past months.

  • Largely vacant gate seating at the B concourse of Dulles Airport.

  • Boxed meals served at a lounge at Dulles Airport. The usual buffet service was changed due to the coronavirus.

  • A sign posted in the D concourse of Dulles Airport asking passengers to practice social distancing throughout their travel. Many signs with guidelines on the coronavirus were placed around the airport.

  • United Airlines signs display information on safe travel practices.

  • A sanitizing wipe was given to all passengers upon boarding the aircraft.

  • Many empty seats on a plane departing Dulles Airport on Dec. 4. Many planes have been flying nearly empty throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

  • The Duty Free area of Ben Gurion Airport in Israel on Dec. 5, much less busy than usual.

  • All passengers arriving in Israel are required to go into quarantine and pass COVID tests to help reduce the spread of the disease. Those who needed assistance in finding accommodations in which to quarantine could go to a designated area in the airport and be assigned a hotel for the isolation process, at no cost to the passenger. Upon arrival in the designated area, passengers received a sandwich, water bottle and snack.

  • The hotel’s lobby entrance, marked with signs of the Israeli Pikud HaOref (Home Front Command). The Command is part of the IDF and has managed elements of the COVID-19 response in Israel, such as testing.

  • Guests of the hotel received three meals a day and could order food delivery from other locations if they wished. Provided meals usually consisted of vegetables, a main meat course (a vegetarian option was available) and one or two snacks.

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First of all, it should be said that travelling will be a different experience for each person who does it. Things change based on destinations, regulations and many other factors. But regardless, I can pretty much guarantee it will be more demanding than usual. Get ready for tricky holiday travel.

While the images above do show visually the experience of travelling during the coronavirus, the personal experience is a complex one. Travelling through the airport and being on an airplane, all with the stressful burden of avoiding other people and doing everything to stay safe, is a difficult and straining experience that I don’t know that I want to repeat. And to top things off, I then end up having to quarantine in a small, noisy hotel room with not-so-great food. I didn’t really imagine the experience to be so tough before I actually went through it.

Obviously, we’re living through really unusual times. But we have to remember that things aren’t normal right now, and that they won’t stay this way forever. At some point in the future, we’ll be able to find a solution and return to our normal world, more or less. Until then, if we want to do the things that we took for granted so much before this pandemic (like travelling somewhere), we have to stay optimistic and beat the challenges of the current situation.

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About the Contributor
Einav Tsach
Einav Tsach, Online Editor-in-Chief
Senior Einav Tsach is proud and excited to serve as Online Editor-in-Chief for his second year on The Pitch. Outside of school, Einav enjoys gardening, playing tennis, baking, and hanging out with friends. He's also a lead counselor for the Israeli Scouts.
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