Canada has rolled back the final Covid restrictions for travel, including masks on planes; we are truly back to normal. For me, the progression back to normal has been fascinating. During 2021 and 2022 my work required me to complete occasional travel across Canada and the US. As both countries loosen restrictions that travel has increased and the changes are remarkable.
Over the past year, Canadian adherence to the guidance from public health experts was admirable. Masks were everywhere and usage only started to slip in airports and planes in the last few months. With this adherence to strict policies came reassurance from the European CDC and International Air Transport Association (IATA) that risks for air travelers were acceptably low. The IATA cited that even on the high end, estimates of covid infection on airplanes was around one case for every 2.7 million travelers.[1] That estimate may be too liberal according to a recent study at MIT[2], but it’s clear that air travel was greatly aided by the safety measures put in place internationally. Yes as recently as the end of 2021, restrictions were being quickly rolled back in the US and across large parts of Europe and South America. In a striking demonstration of efficiency, any trace of social distancing or covid restriction has been scrubbed from the dozen US airports I’ve traveled through in the last 6 months. It’s a tribute to the resilience of humanity as well as our ability to quickly forget that which makes us uncomfortable.
Regardless of your comfort level with covid protocols, a trip through an airport or on public transit at the beginning of this year was sure to include pointed looks if you failed to properly mask and socially distance yourself. By the end of summer, a casual use of masks and the normal airport crowding became commonplace. At first, it felt uncomfortable. After two years of wearing a mask, keeping your distance, and sanitizing hands constantly, a lack of personal space felt offensive for some and alarming for many. According to Sahar Tirmizi, a frequent business and leisure traveler from Toronto: “There are moments where I think we’re back to pre-endemic levels however subtle reminders remain. Mask presence is just one, but also the presence of more sanitizing stations, the sanitation provisions on planes, and the half-thought that someone is judging me for sneezing or coughing.” While the government’s guidance may state we are back to normal, the little voice in the back of my head will take more time to get comfortable with a full return to pre-pandemic life. Stephanie Bromwichs, a newlywed on her way back from a honeymoon in Mexico, shared that she was more confident traveling in recent weeks despite the lack of regulation because she experienced being stranded abroad during the Omicron surge. “That fear of being trapped alone in a hotel room indefinitely has now left my mind and provided me with some peace of mind that I can come home when scheduled. That said, I do feel trepidation over the recent changes made on Oct 1st of a mask free experience. I felt a weird sense of security with my mask on when those around me would cough.” Bromwichs and her new husband Harry won’t be the only ones with mixed emotions about this final regulatory change.
An interesting, and frustrating, by-product of these two years of quarantines and restrictions is our general loss of good travel habits. You likely watched the evolving saga of Toronto Pearson buckling under the burden of the dramatic return of air travel. The rigid, practiced stream of business travelers that marched through those halls back in 2021, belts off and toiletries out, are now outnumbered by the masses of leisure travelers. Laptops and liquids caused screening lines to back up and the airport security teams quickly faced the collective wrath of a newly freed public dying to see a new skyline. While security lines and baggage claims are started to recover, travelers should expect months of more metering deplaning and long lines in customs.
I agree with Bromwichs when she says “I am actually much more comfortable now, as a vaccinated person, to travel!.” Airlines and airport teams are working hard to deliver smooth, uninterrupted trips. Vacation destinations around the world are starving for tourist dollars and are thrilled to welcome you back. However, the supply will take time to meet this new rush of demand. According to employees at Air Canada and Delta, airlines struggle to bring furloughed staff back to the sky when so many now have a taste for the work from home life. The staff who manned their posts through the pandemic are facing burnout. Both ground and air operations will face challenges returning to pre-pandemic levels of staffing and capacity for at least another six months. While the world is once again my oyster, I think I’ll stick to domestic trips this fall and winter to avoid the frustration.
[1] https://tc.canada.ca/en/binder/risk-covid-19-transmission-aboard-aircraft | [2] https://news.mit.edu/2022/covid-19-odds-plane-0728
