Gina Suh, head of the Mayo Clinics travel clinic, says train travel isnt too dissimilar from air travel. One such investigation of a 10-hour journey from London to Hanoi starting on March 1 found that 15 people were likely infected with COVID-19 in-flightand that 12 of them had sat within a couple of rows of a single symptomatic passenger in business class. All the others have people right next to you, she said. Those measures dont guarantee risk-free travel on board. Since then, ridership crept partway back to its. The truth is that few of us are wearing masks with strong enough filters to reliably screen viruses out of the air. Still, Lofgren reminds us that we need to be vigilant about maintaining six feet of space. SHARON, Vt. (AP) The driver of a tractor-trailer that was hit by an Amtrak train on Monday has been . It has installed signs to encourage social distancing in high-traffic areas, such as the stations and cafe cars, where it has also put up plastic barriers at the customer counters. (CG: PATRICIA QUINN, NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND PASSENGER RAIL AUTHORITY) 09:25 IT EXCHANGES SEVERAL TIMES AN HOUR. light filter, and we are testing that," said Denise Beck, Marketing and Community Outreach Manager for Greater Portland METRO.METRO has partnered with the University of Southern Maine to carry out the tests on those devices. However, Amtrak doesnt allow passengers to open windows any longer because of safety regulations and the central air conditioning. Customers are assigned specific seats once they board, says Predmore, and they wont be seated next to or facing other passengersunless theyre traveling together with friends or family members. Yes, its lonely and solitary, but unfortunately during the coronavirus, thats perfect.. COVID-19 risk calculator: The safest and most dangerous things to do this holiday season; Updated number of COVID-19 deaths, cases in Bay Area; COVID-19 Help: Comprehensive list of resources . 00:31) (CG: DR. BOB ARNOT, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT) 10:25 THE REASON WE STILL HAVE HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF CASES EVERY SINGLE DAY IT'S AS IF PEOPLE WERE WALKING INTO BURNING BUILDINGS AND WE DIDN'T HAVE SMOKE DETECTORS DR. BO ARNOT IS A LONGTIME MEDICAL JOURNALIST AND AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, WHO TREATED EBOLA PATIENTS IN AFRICA. Many of the cities in question required commuters to wear masks. Joseph Khabbaza, a critical care medicine specialist at Cleveland Clinic, said travelers can be meticulous about their plans and still the wild card is you dont know whos going to be close to you and how close theyre going to be, what are their personal views, and how they have been approaching these last seven or eight months.. Sometimes, doing all this extra work makes me feel paranoid, and I almost didnt do it this time. Before the pandemic, many people would not think twice about ordering a ride-share car or hailing a taxi. I wanted to determine if my experience was more the exception or the norm. "I think Maine is very well positioned," Quinn said. But more money, to buy faster locomotives and sleek new cars on upgraded track, cant do much for train travelers if a poky freight train blocks their way. It has less to do with germy surfaces than you think. In lieu of offering everyone private rooms, Murray says that assigned (spaced-out) seating is a smart step for Amtrak to take to protect passengers and allow for social distancing. We were off. In the station, Lofgren says you should practice the same kind of social distancing that youd do at, say, the grocery store: Minimize your contact with other people, so if someone is boarding, hang out until theres space for you to safely get on behind them. Yet, Amtrak mandated masks for all passengers and employees beginning last spring. Written by David Peter Alan , Contributing Editor. The affected routes include some trains in the Northeast Corridor and a New Orleans route. Monitoring carbon dioxide levels, getting more fresh outdoor air in spaces key. Amtrak. And keeping conversation to a minimum could also reduce the danger because talking is known to release aerosols that can spread the virus. 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At the same time, the rail service announced that it would begin strictly monitoring where passengers sit and how many board each car. Bacterial co-infection is a major risk factor for death, intensive care unit admission and mechanical ventilation, according to a multi-center, retrospective cohort study published in the journal Critical Care and led by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers.. Coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19, has killed more than 6.3 million people worldwide. (DR BOB ZOOM) 18:02 FUNDAMENTALLY YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE CLEAN OUTDOOR AIR, INDOORS. While driving and flying are the most popular travel options, where does taking a train fit into pandemic travel? Trains also are safer than planes, in part, because many train stations have open-air platforms where travelers board, Dr. Aaron Rossi told USA Today in October. Many transit companies have established frequent cleaning routines, but evidence suggests that airborne transmission of the novel coronavirus poses a greater danger than surfaces. Travel writer Ali Wunderman has taken a couple long-distance Amtrak trips during the pandemic, from Montana to the Bay Area in August and from Portland, Ore., to Chicago, then to Boston in September and October. Although no mode of public transportation is completely safe, there are some concrete ways to reduce risk, whether on an airplane, train or busor even in a shared car. After taking Amtrak's Coast Starlight train from Portland to Los Angeles during the pandemic, one traveler shares her experience of the 30-hour journey. To maximize space between passengers and manage flow, Amtrak is encouraging customers to arrive 30 minutes before departure (60 minutes if they need ticketing or baggage assistance). While this reserved seating option doesn't apply to your local, commuter train, you can follow the same best practices. WASHINGTON Amtrak successfully advanced its COVID-19 recovery efforts throughout its 50th Anniversary fiscal year, through continued safety measures for customers and employees, increased train service levels in line with growing demand and continued building a strong foundation for modernization and growth. Companies have also implemented rigorous cleaning procedures between flights. Shorter ridesespecially those under roughly 15 minutespose a lower risk than long ones. I also realized that absolutely none of the windows on the train were open, and frequent reminders over the intercom made it clear that passengers were not to attempt to open them. MERV-13 filters are less efficient than HEPA filters, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends them for reducing the number of airborne viral particles. Im Linda, and Ill be your cabin attendant taking care of you all the way to Los Angeles. Lindas cheerful spirit was contagious, giving me the first real feeling of excitement and adventure since my last trip, a food-filled exploration of Houston back in late February. That includes contactless boarding, enhanced disinfection through a partnership. (If you want to take your PPE to the next level, consider adding a plastic face shield to your packing list. A LIVE READING 09:37 FOR MOST OF US -- THE SOLUTION IS LIKELY AS SIMPLE AS OPENING OUR WINDOWS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. light filter, and we are testing that," said Denise Beck, Marketing and Community Outreach Manager for Greater Portland METRO. Though it was a shared space . "Almost no cases came from somebody touching something -- all the time and effort spent washing when it should have been ventilation, number one, and masks, number two.". Solo passengers can use the empty seats next to them for personal belongings. Since then, that number has climbed north of 30% as the calendar moved closer to summer. An NEJM study in March reported on a Thai taxi driver who fell ill and tested positive for the coronavirus after driving some tourists who had been coughing but wearing a mask. She noticed more thorough sanitation on her Portland-to-Chicago route, and less mask enforcement from Chicago to Boston. This summer, expect lots of open windows on the buses too to add extra ventilation, officials said. Walking through the rows of roomettes, it appeared that people were taking advantage of a loophole in the mask rule they were maskless while in their rooms as required, but their doors were wide open. It turned out to be a rough night, full of rattles and rumbles. One such innovation is the expansion of reserved seating on Acela trains. We will continue to prioritize offering a modern, safe and reliable customer experience and preparing for what should be a monumental fiscal year 2022.. Some drivers have even installed a plastic shield between the front and back seats. Amtrak has canceled about two dozen trains, blaming bad weather and COVID-19 cases among workers. Why a Daily Dose of Awe Might Be the New Prozac, What 35-Year-Olds Should Know About Perimenopause. Our editors handpick the products that we feature. Another safety factor? Ive made a habit of giving every hotel room or Airbnb Ive stayed in during the pandemic a solid wipe down for my own sanity and security. If you have a FOIA request, please clickhere. If the rate of community transmission in your region is low, chances are that taking the occasional taxi or ride-share car is not a huge riskprovided you wear a mask and keep the windows open as much as possible. But even with fresh air available, an infected passenger can still transmit the coronavirus to someone who is sitting in close proximityso riders should attempt to space themselves out and avoid densely packed cars whenever possible. Nationwide, Amtrak was on time only 60% to 70% of the time in many states in 2019. Those improvements allowed all Amtrak trains in that stretch to bump up their speeds. "Places like Washington State have already mandated live CO2 readings for restaurants, as a way to try to mitigate the virus risk.The data emerging from a handful of new research papers show that COVID-19 can build up in poorly ventilated spaces.In fact, a recent MIT study found the risk of being exposed to the coronavirus could be as great whether a person is 6 feet or 60 feet away if the air is mixed.That study went on to point out the potential threat existed even with a mask.WHAT TO DO AT HOME"The reason we still have hundreds to thousands of cases every single day it's as if people were walking into burning buildings and we didn't have smoke detectors," Dr. Arnot said.For homes and many businesses, the solution may be as simple as keeping all the windows open as much as possible.More airtight locations would have to work with their HVAC systems to increase the fresh air intake to levels that would adequately lower the parts per million (PPM).MAKING CLASSROOMS SAFERSchools have been some of the first places to take a hard look at their ventilation. Nearly 500 Police and Sheriffs departments across 43 states and the District of Columbia joined the Amtrak Police Department and Operation Lifesaver Inc. to conduct Operation Clear Track, the single largest railroad safety law enforcement detail in the U.S. Amtrak also trained 3,052 employees in Safety Starts with Me, an internal safety program. Thats far less risky than the indoor settings of airport security lines and waiting areas where passengers gather and sit before boarding. The new cars could be put into service as soon as this spring, said Michael Frezell, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Transportation, which purchased the cars and owns much of the track Amtrak uses between Detroit and Chicago. Running on normal schedules are Amtraks other Michigan trains the Blue Water service that links Chicago to Battle Creek, Lansing, Flint and Port Huron; and the Pere Marquette between Chicago and Grand Rapids. 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