Travel restrictions shouldn’t be removed

Ashley Barletta, News Editor

The United States recently lifted international travel restrictions on Nov. 8. The countries where this travel ban was lifted include Mexico, Canada, and most of Europe, according to news sources. This could be a major problem for those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated. Depending on a per-son’s destination, they will either need to be tested for COVID-19 or quarantine prior to traveling. Of course, it is best for someone who is traveling anywhere to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and masks must be worn over the nose and mouth throughout the duration of the flight.Despite these precautions, there is still no greater precaution against COVID-19 than staying home.

I know it has been difficult for people who have family and friends in different countries, but when someone travels any-where, not even necessarily abroad, they are putting themselves and others in danger, including their loved ones who they visit. Therefore, if a person is going to travel abroad, then there must be a consensus between that per-son and whoever they are visiting that it is worth the risk.

It seems like there are stories all over the news that people who travel get COVID-19 and are surprised about it.This is a reminder that the vaccine does not make you invincible, it makes you less prone to COVID-19 and less susceptible to severe illness. However, you can still carry the virus and you can still infect others you spend time around. Another reason why this travel restriction lifting should not have happened is because American Airlines had hundreds of flight cancellations the week be-fore. If this continues to happen, there will be crowding in the airports, major discomfort among passengers, and possibly a spike in COVID-19, because there is always someone who won’t follow the mask mandate and won’t listen to the facts that COVID-19 kills. These passengers are also likely to mistreat the flight attendants who simply ask them to follow the rules. News flash, the flight attendants didn’t make the rules and certainly don’t deserve to deal with some screaming, fully grown person who decides that they are exempt from the rules that were literally made by the CDC to keep us safe!

What’s worse is that some people get violent with the flight attendants. They certainly didn’t sign up for black eyes and broken bones when they accepted the job as a flight attendant, and I am going to assume that nobody wants that in whatever career they choose. Once again, it’s not the fault of the flight attendants that masks are required, so it should not be taken out on them. Some people need to grow up and get a life, because nobody thinks it’s cute when a grown adult throws a temper tantrum, especially over a piece of fabric. So, good job to the United States on making the containment of COVID-19 even harder for everyone so we can shut down all over again, and I can wear a mask for my entire four years of college! Seriously, thank you so much this is definitely not going to go downhill super-fast and screw everything up again.