Tours and Covid

Hi, Christine,

RS tours has been self-reporting these statistics on this website.
https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/on-the-road-reports

I don’t like their advice on certificate of recovery, but their stats are there for you to see.

Thanks for pointing me to the On-The-Road site. That will be helpful.

Reviews of the July 2022 tours say the July 1 group had 12 or 13 people testing positive for Covid,. The July 17 and 24 tours each had a couple leave with positive Covid tests. From a public health perspective (and the CDC’s criteria), the July 1 tour travelers who tested positive would be reported as a “Covid-19 cluster” outbreak. A bit worrisome.
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/community-mitigation/prioritizing-non-healthcare-assessments.html

A couple we know went on a tour to Ireland and both got Covid. No idea if it was a RS tour.

We had several cases on our two tours in September. Both were RS tours.
Tom, you are correct with your cluster outbreak.

I did two RS tours this year. One was covid free, and there were 4 positives on the other.

I also know a number of independent travelers in my travel group who have tested positive during or immediately following trips to Europe.

My personal feeling is that tours are not necessarily more likely to lead to covid infection. It seems to be pretty random. 2 of us on the RS tour spent most of the non group time with one of the people who tested positive well into the tour, and neither of us ever tested positive.

As a retired RN following the journal articles on this virus since January 2020, please consider a thought regarding travel and Covid. There’s solid research showing this virus is found in the feces of people testing “negative”, symptomatic or not, and for months after “recovery.” Various authors also point out, however, there currently is no evidence this is a vector for transmission of Covid.

However, “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.” Regarding feces, the CDC has also posted on its website “People with COVID-19 can shed the virus in their feces (poop), even if they don’t have symptoms.” More important are the CDC’s stark warnings about sharing a toilet with a Covid patient: “Protect yourself if you must share a bathroom with someone with COVID-19.
Wait as long as possible to use a shared bathroom after a person with COVID-19.
Wear a mask when using a shared bathroom after a person with COVID-19.
Clean before using a shared bathroom after a person with COVID-19.”

I can recall many people on my six RS tours, having checked out of our rooms, waiting to use hotel lobby restrooms just before boarding the bus (“Last chance to use a clean, comfortable toilet for three hours or so!”) As for the “sharing” risks of that bathroom? The Covid status of the last person using that restroom is an unknown. Follow the CDC’s “wait then clean it first” protocols? Unlikely. How about the “20 second hand wash” ? Dubious. But masks …they are critical ! They are our only protective barrier from the many times we unconsciously put contaminated-fingers-to-mouth/face or lick a finger to turn a tour book page or discretely poke at something caught in our teeth.