metallo

Since you asked for judgment, I'll just say that, if you have COVID-19, it means you didn't take proper precautions, and you're exactly the reason travel is restricted all over the world right now.

You didn't get it in March or April when we still didn't know much about it. You got it almost a full year later -- in that time, millions of U.S. healthcare workers have been exposed to the virus daily at work, and a substantial majority of them managed not to become infected simply by taking appropriate precautions (undoubtedly some asymptomatic infections were missed due to lack of testing availability, but it's amazing how many people have managed to stay negative despite such significant exposure, presumably because they're following the guidelines and doing what they're supposed to do).

My take is, if by now, you weren't able to keep yourself COVID-free, with everything we now know about it, you should not have been traveling. I hope you didn't infect anyone else with your carelessness, especially since you've flown recently.

I also wouldn't be rushing off to book your next leisure trip, particularly somewhere like the UAE, where I'd hate to think what might happen if you're subject to testing there, test positive, and they subsequently find out you also previously knew you had a positive test before flying. I wouldn't rely on other countries' guidelines matching ours or government testing authorities (who may not be healthcare workers) understanding that your positive test does not necessarily indicate active infection. By the way, it's also not a guarantee that you will have mounted enough of an antibody response to be immune.

In any case, I'd recommend no international travel for at least 90 days, as well as significant personal reflection regarding your current infection and recent/upcoming travels.

smartytravel

Oh that moral superiority.

OP: make sure to take a PCR test now and keep the results. Some countries will allow you to enter if you can prove you’ve already had COVID in the past. The only proof I can think of is a test result with your name on it, which you can use in a month or so to say: look, I had it.

platbrownguy

oh give me a break.

OP, I would simply get 3 or 4 tests before going. Just make the rounds, CVS, Walgreens, whatever. If they're all negative then I wouldn't be worried about the risk of a false positive some weeks later. If that risk still worries you at that point, then don't go (though tbh there are plenty of other risks in the world that should worry you more).

metallo

That would be incredibly selfish (potentially taking 3-4 tests from people who may really need them, as testing is still a scarce resource in some areas). It's also very poor advice to suggest to someone that negative rapid tests at CVS or Walgreens would provide enough security to avoid the possibility of a positive PCR at a later date in a country that might take those results quite seriously with forced quarantine or other negative consequences.

Carolina2Cali

I hesitate to reply at all, because I didn't want my post to become another COVID argument or policy debate, though I certainly expected it. I'll just say this... I get tested every 2 months as I have to fly home to see Mom often, who has just months to live, with ALS... (she's on a filtered breathing tube and I test EVERY time before flying home). I work from home and do not go out much at all. We really don't have anywhere to go in California anyway, unlike pretty much the entire Southeast USA. I do wash my hands, I DID go to Mexico, and did follow the regulations and even stayed at a Hyatt with an insane COVID system that includes spraying your luggage and forcing your Uber driver to be sanitized, feet included!!! That said, yes, I went to a couple restaurants and bars, and yes, I took my mask off to eat. Thank you for your judgement, at least now everyone else can just click like on your reply, instead of adding their own 2 cents.

I will also say this. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I GOT IT. I did not have symptoms from my 10 day trip until 5 days after returning home. It could have happened in the Uber home, or even from my roommate. People who wear condoms still sometimes make a baby, so don't give me this .........

See, this is why I love this forum and you people, I did not know that! That's fantastic news. They called me with the result (actually, I called to check in, and the lady said oh, I see your results here, you're gonna have to talk to a care provider, just one second... they've never said that before. I knew right then and there what the provider would tell me... positive.)

I am not worried about myself, I have a high risk tolerance, I can afford to get stuck if I really have to... but obviously would prefer not to. And obviously I don't want to spread the COVID, but it seems the science is fairly strong that you're more or less immune-ish for 2-4 months after.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I did not know these things, so perfection! But yes, getting OUT of America to Dubai may be harder, unless I do test negative in a couple of weeks. Great to know though, and thanks for the intel on AUH too.
Argentina I booked like late March or April using their 2 amazing weeks promo plus my 15 percent black Friday code, just in case they open up by then to vaccinated persons or what have you...

Cheers all, and thanks!

Carolina2Cali

I don't know where you live but tests (which I've been paying for, in cash) are not hard to come by in Los Angeles. There is no shortage (unlike the vaccines Newsom has us throwing away). It is simply a cue tip, a small vial of liquid, and a machine at a lab... zero shortage. Perhaps some states have a shortage of free ones at testing sites, but me taking one here is not preventing someone else from getting one, I am 100 percent certain.

pmblinn

I'd really like to understand how you came to this specific conclusion in OP's case.

Often1

The answer to OP's question is simple and has nothing to do with AA or whether he has previously tested positive or is now symptomatic.

He must comply with the requirements for every jurisdiction he enters or transits. If a negative test is required, that is what he must produce. If that takes 90 days, that is how long he must wait. He may also be required to provide medical information by some countries and might be denied entry on the basis of that information,

Finally, as a practical matter and because there may be ongoing issues, he should have a plan B for what he will do if he tests positive while traveling and must therefore remain somewhere for somewhere between 10-90 days, all depending on his condition.

The rest of the discussion is just rehashing what people think the policies ought to be and has nothing to do with what they are.

valdor

On a positive note, there is growing evidence that immunity lasts for much longer than a few months. It likely lasts for at least a year (possibly years).

https://science.sciencemag.org/conte...cience.abf4063

Carolina2Cali

You're 100 percent correct, and I understand entirely (though good to learn from some other replies that some places have begun to carve out exceptions for those who indeed used to be positive but have surely killed the virus by now, albeit can't yet test negative).
It would be nice if more countries realized this and allowed for us to travel, we could help do our part of keeping tourism industries alive as we are about as safe as anyone vaccinated... I am safer than someone who tests negative but develops symptoms two days later. I guess with that being the case almost EVERYONE who leaves the country now needs a backup or insurance plan for being stuck out of the country. I do not recommend going to Switzerland (not that they are open!) - EXPENSIVE. But yea, everyone should probably have a few extra grand in the bank now before traveling, just in case.

Carolina2Cali

Yay! Now I can be at the bottom of the list to get micro-chipped... kidding! But honestly, as part of doing my part, I could indeed volunteer to be last to get vaccinated and allow others to go ahead of me, even as some sort of social credit score punishment as I am sure those judging above would like me to have... I don't mind.

azepine00

First congrats on recovering from a mild case. There are more pros than cons for you imho..

Fist for going out - there is no reason for you to wait to test - as you noted thee are many options in LA so try 2-3 see what results you get. If positive - wait a couple weeks and try again.
Ultimately testing positive before outbound is not a huge deal - just cancel/postpone the trip.

As for return - according to CDC order you do not need to test as long as you produce official documentation confirming your recent COVID recovery. You are in much better shape there than most ppl who risk testing positive and getting stuck overseas. Take full advantage of this.

metallo

I thought I outlined that fairly clearly in my post -- we know COVID-19 infection can be prevented with appropriate precautions (hence my reference to the healthcare workers being exposed every day who manage to stay healthy).

OP also just confirmed in his most recent post that he was out and about at bars and restaurants in Mexico without a mask shortly before he tested positive. Whether he got it from one of those encounters or another encounter he perceived to be lower risk (Uber driver, roommate, etc., he still managed to get it, despite a wealth of information available to medical laypeople through TV, internet, radio, government health orders/directives, etc., about the steps that are necessary to prevent infection).

Additionally, we now know that many transmissions are occurring between family members and small gatherings of friends, who simply assume they're safe because they're around familiar people who don't appear sick at the time. Precautions still need to be taken in those situations (even potentially around your spouse/roommate at home, if they've had risky exposures outside the home). The possibility of false negative tests also must be strongly considered, especially if one is visiting relatives with other medical co-morbidities.

Unfortunately, now, the OP's positive test seems to have emboldened him to contemplate all sorts of international leisure travel because he's now "immune."

It's not that difficult to connect the dots about how this likely happened.

Carolina2Cali

Yes. To put food and beverage in my mouth. I’m being fully open honest and transparent. I’m guessing you rarely leave the house and think if no one ever got on a plane the coronavirus would somehow have died out by now or we could have invented the vaccine faster. Probably should just avoid FlyerTalk for a little while...

pmblinn

My question was around your diagnosis in Post #5. OP's expository information about Mexico and bars was later.