By Garrett Estrada
In the new normal of the Coronavirus pandemic, this summer travel season should really be the “continue to stay at home season,” says one local doctor with Southwest Medical. Though destinations have begun to reopen, the recent uptick in cases of COVID-19 indicate there is more waiting left to be done before being able to travel safely.
“I wouldn’t recommend traveling at this time,” said Dr. Ricardo Cruz of Southwest Medical.
The doctor realizes that this isn’t advice people are wanting to hear right now after having spent much of April through June quarantined indoors, but it is the wise thing to do in order to stay healthy.
“I want to consider the health and safety of a person first, before anything else,” Cruz said.
The United States continues to see increases in daily reported cases of COVID-19, including hitting the grim milestone of hitting 50,000 new cases in a day this past week. In terms of the weeks to come, that number could likely double to 100,000 new cases a day, said the nation’s leading infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci.
The rising numbers coincide with many cities around the country finishing their shutdowns and reopening businesses, including Las Vegas, which saw the Mandalay Bay and Aria hotels reopen on July 1. While the timing is not ideal, it comes as many businesses try to walk the tightrope of getting back to making money while also not putting their customers at risk.
Strip casinos have since implemented new safety measures throughout their properties, such as temperature screening checks in order to be allowed into the hotel and social distancing windows between table game players on the casino floor. Cruz said such policies should help make a difference, so long as the properties “closely adhere to maintaining the precautions.”
But while the City of Las Vegas begins a new ad campaign highlighting that it is safe to return, many locals were probably looking to get out of the city to have their own vacation. Unfortunately, with surrounding states such as California and Arizona quickly becoming new epicenters of the pandemic, Cruz advises pushing all travel plans out of the city back to the fall.
“The way I see it, we need to take this three months at a time. Staying home for that time should be the only option considered,” Cruz said.
If someone does need to travel however on an essential trip, Cruz said a lot more thinking needs to be done in order to keep the person safe. Travelers should try and avoid flying as they will come into contact with many more people than if they were to drive.
They should also travel with a care package of disinfectant wipes, disposable gloves, hand sanitizer and face coverings. As for staying anywhere outside of a person’s own home, Cruz advises to “consider cleaning the place yourself” by wiping down commonly touched surfaces with wipes before touching them rather than assuming that they have been cleaned.
In terms of getting tested for the virus, Cruz said he’s proud of Southwest Medical for providing the first curbside testing in the Las Vegas Valley back on March 9 and that many more locations have now opened up for people to get tested. A Southwest Medical patient can go to any of these following locations to get a test done for COVID-19 if they have a referral from their physician:
-Craig Convenient Care – 4090 W. Craig Rd., North Las Vegas
-Lake Mead Convenient Care – 310 W. Lake Mead Pkwy., Henderson
-Flamingo Convenient Care – 5580 W. Flamingo Rd., Las Vegas
-Nellis Convenient Care – 540 N. Nellis Blvd., Las Vegas
-Urgent Care at Rancho Healthcare Center – 888 S. Rancho Dr., Las Vegas
-Urgent Care at Siena Heights Healthcare Center – 2845 Siena Heights Dr., Henderson