Do I need to get tested?
You may only get tested with pre-approval from your physician. Patients that are good candidates for the test already show signs of illness including fever, chills, cough, or shortness of breath. If you have no symptoms of illness, you may be turned away. It is important to note that if you have not scheduled an appointment or do not have the required documentation, you will be turned away from testing centers.
What is the process actually like?
It is likely that if you are in America, you’ll find your most likely method of accessing a COVID-19 is by one of the newly instilled “drive-thru” testing sites. Opened to help the masses access the test, drive thru testing centers are opening across 12 states – including California – and can be found in major cities including San Francisco. Once a doctor orders for your testing, you will need to be prepared with your Doctor’s order, your ID, and your insurance card ready.
Once arriving at the testing drive-through, you’ll be asked to remain in your car with the windows rolled up to hold your documentation up to the window to be checked. After confirmation, you will be asked to roll your window down just enough so that each person to be tested may be given a throat swab. The collected samples are then sent to a lab, where they will be confirmed as positive or negative. You should expect to hear back anywhere from 2-7 business days depending on your location’s demand.
What if I test positive?
The most important thing you can do is prevent the spread of this illness any further. Some tips include;
• Stay Home except to get medical care
• Separate yourself from other people in your home (home isolation)
• Call ahead before visiting your doctor
• Wear a face mask if you are sick
• Wash your hands often
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• Avoid sharing personal household items
• Clean all “high-touch” surfaces every day
• Monitor your symptoms
For more information on how to tackle this illness, read about it from the CDC.
We wish you a healthy next few days, weeks & months, and want you to remember to keep dreaming of your next trip – this pandemic won’t last forever, and the travel industry will need your help to revive the dream when the opportunity arises again. In the meantime, best wishes.
All Business Class
(Sources: CDC, USA Today)