Tips For Enjoying Your Safari Amid The Omicron Variant Scare

While there are still some travel restrictions, travelling and safaris are slowly picking up again. After almost two years of being locked down, it is now time to stretch your legs, try-out a number of things other than the screen and most importantly boost the economies. Most tourist attractions in Uganda, transport systems, restaurants and generally accommodation facilities have opened for domestic and International visitors.

However, how can you safely travel and enjoy your safari even with the current Omicron scare? How can you explore the wilderness or jungle amid the potentially risky encounters with warm and friendly people who are likely to infect you? Is touring the National Parks possible while social distancing or is it safe to use public restrooms during road trips? While Covid-19 vaccines have made travelling a lot safer than it was when the virus just broke out in 2020, precautions still need to be taken. Travellers who are fully vaccinated aren’t taking as much risk in undertaking safaris now, but precautions are still required. However, the following are the important tips for enjoying your safari amid the Omicron variant scare;

Consider testing for Covid-19 around your safari

If you or the people you are travelling with have not been fully vaccinated, it would be wise to consider taking a Covid-19 test 1-3 days prior to leaving so as to reduce the odds of taking the Virus to your safari destination. Also, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend testing for even vaccinated travellers even 3-5 days on returning back home and if possible, quarantine for 7-10 days. Safari destinations like Uganda recommended testing and negative PCR results prior to visiting, even if you have already been vaccinated.

Consider the mode of travel

Unvaccinated travellers as well as those at high risk of severe COVID-19 are advised to use road trips as the safest transport mode, especially if you can get to Uganda within a day because it greatly reduces interactions with other people along the way. However, this doesn’t mean that flying is unsafe. It is actually safe, considering the fact that all Airlines require passengers to wear face masks onboard and if you haven’t vaccinated, it is advisable to remain within your seat as much as possibly during your flight into or around Uganda. Additionally, make sure that your face mask is kept on most of the time, more especially when other travellers close have removed theirs to drink or eat.

Vigilance is required when using public transport means, especially buses and Matatus for the unvaccinated as most of these vehicles don’t have well-functioning ventilations systems as on planes.

Avoid indoor places thronged by people

Specialists across the World believe that Covid-19 rates will subsidize when more people become vaccinated, which is not the case in Uganda and other third World Countries where the uptake of these vaccines is still low. Therefore if you are planning your safari, there are activities you have always loved to do during your safari (like experiencing nightlife and festivals) but you will have to avoid for now because these carry great risk of infection.

Avoid obsessing with cleaning and sanitizing

It is possible to enjoy your safari pretty much as usual if you have been fully vaccinated. This obviously means you can stay at a Safari Lodge or Hotel room if you like than limiting yourself to a secluded Rental home as it was at the peak of Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. For this reason, you don’t need to sanitize the Lodge’s light switches, door knobs, tables or any other high-touch surfaces. However, some travellers have always practiced these things to protect themselves against Norovirus or other microorganisms that spread by touch and therefore still do so. Nonetheless, you are not likely to spread and contract Coronavirus that way.

Stay vigilant if not fully vaccinated

While on your safari in Uganda, it’s always easy to feel like the restrictions of your normal life don’t apply. However, unvaccinated travellers have literally no magical protections for keeping Covid-19 at bay because it is equivalent to gambling. For travellers at risk of contracting the virus, it is advisable to follow Standard Operating Procedures (like washing hands, hand sanitizing regularly, maintaining a social distance of 2 meters between yourself and others, wearing face marks, avoiding poorly ventilated places and crowds, keep monitoring your health for any covid-19 related signs) at all times.

Just have a good time because you deserve it

You will agree that the stress of the Covid-19 pandemic stressed us the safari lovers because it has been almost two years of not travelling, but instead watching on-screens and avoiding or not spending time with our extended families. Therefore while on your safari, free yourself and enjoy to the climax because you really deserve it. Other important tips for travelling safely amid the Omicron Variant scare include staying safe while respecting other travellers’ spaces and knowing the infection rate of the destination you are planning to explore.