Flying in the time of COVID

I am on a plane as I write this, although I will post it after I’ve landed. I’m headed to CA to visit my parents for three and a half weeks and let my brother get a break.  I’ll be working remotely for part of that time and mostly just trying to take care of my parents and not give them COVID and not catch it myself. It’s been almost a year since Jim was able to get any time away, and even that was less than optimal due to my mom going rogue and the fact that he was still recovering from a very bad flu he had, which may have been COVID or maybe not. He had a shorter break scheduled in the fall but that was derailed by a health issue with one of our parents.  There are so many I can’t even remember the specifics.  Fortunately, in 2020 they had a total of one night in a hospital, compared to 70 nights in a hospital or convalescent facility in 2019.

I’m sitting in first class and am masked up with a KN95 and wearing a face shield. The flights have been nice and empty and I was comfortable in my level of safety on the Ithaca flight.  It was very empty and the passengers appeared to be mostly Cornell folks, who typically get COVID tested once a week, sometimes more and are generally careful. The Detroit airport was a mixed bag, with a few maskless folks as well as those with their noses hanging out, wearing bandanas, or taking off their masks more than was absolutely necessary.  Unfortunately, the asshole behind me had his nose hanging out for a while until I complained to the flight attendant.  I am very nervous about that. He took his revenge by ripping some loud farts after I complained, which may or may not have been coincidental.

I wish I could’ve waited until we all got vaccinated, but that may be a long time. I am very conflicted and scared that I am travelling at all, but Jim really needs a break and I’ve delayed this visit three times already.  I won’t be able to fully quarantine but will stay masked at all times and keep a distance.

My mom’s cat, Yogi, is very old (>20?) and is at the tail end of his nine lives. Jim is spending as much or more time taking care of Yogi as he does with our parents. I may have to take him to get put to sleep while I’m in CA.  Jim and I are both worried that when Yogi dies it will be very hard on them.  Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time we’ve dealt with this situation. Two years ago my dad’s cat was really doing poorly and I had to push him to agree to put her to sleep. It was the right thing to do, as she was suffering a lot and tended to stand underfoot and was a huge tripping hazard for him.  His health took a downturn a few months later.