squeakr

We are contemplating a short road trip next month for a couple of days, just a couple of hours away. I’ve read a lot of anecdotal evidence that gas stations are hot birds of Covid Dash the gassing up your car has been a problem for people. Any thoughts on how to keep safe at gas stations? And what the issues are in people getting sick from them? There’s no reports or studies etc. but I have read a lot of the first person accounts that are credible but going to the gas station was the only outing the person had within the infection window.
As we are in a high-risk group we are absolutely social distancing - been working from home since March 9, only trips are masked and to local stores with plenty of Ventilation. We haven’t been indoors with people besides ourselves except shopping trips since March 9 as well.

gaobest

I pump gas weekly - mask and gloves and hand sanitizer, since gas pumps don’t seem to have Apple Pay or contactless credit card prompts. Grrrr. I use cloth gloves and wash after a single use. I bought “glove liners” on amazon in April and they’re great.

and having read your post, I’ll suggest staying home and not bothering to travel. Use the vacation money to buy some new pillows or clothes or towels and enjoy the new things.

kale73

I routinely drive moderate to long distances and generally have to refuel vehicles at least 2x / week. FWIW, I consider gas stations safer than supermarkets. I can buy gas without entering a building or interacting with another human being, but that's not the case with groceries. (Delivery of perishable foods to my domicile is not an option.)

Although I know the attention has somewhat veered away from the dangers of 'high touch' surfaces I still keep a box of disposable food handlers gloves in each vehicle for the necessary 'touches' at the pump: ZIP code for credit card, selecting the fuel grade, and actually handling the fuel nozzle. After fueling and returning the nozzle to the pump, the glove goes in the station trash can. I wear a mask unless I'm the only person in the area. Hand sanitizer once I'm back in the car.

Not sure what else one can do short of buying an electric car, which may present other challenges depending on the length of the trip.

cblaisd

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/01/t...ip-safety.html

rickg523

Pay at the pump and use hand sanitizer right after you finish.
Wear a mask outside your car.
Shouldn't be a problem.

Bluehen1

I come into more contact with people getting gas in my home area than when I've traveled. While I do love not having to pump my gas in NJ, it does result in two interactions with a person. Fortunately, my tank is on the passenger side of my car so all I'm doing is handing them my credit card and taking it back from them. However, I've not heard of any COVID cases as a result of transmission at a gas pump. Doesn't mean that it doesn't happen. When I've had to pump my own gas, I use my mask and sanitize my hands once I get back into my car.

DavidDTW

I wear a mask and use hand sanitizer when done pumping, but no way will I use a credit/debit card at the pump. I always pay cash for gas.

corky

Why would you discourage squeakr from taking a road trip?
I think the suggestions on here are good. I don't consider gas stations to be any more dangerous than inside a store but I do keep gloves in my car and wear them throughout the transaction from using my credit card to pumping gas and then I peel them off and dispose (of course, I wear a mask and use hand sanitizer when I get back in my car. I probably only get gas once or twice a month since I don't go anywhere but wouldn't hesitate if I had to get it more often. It sounds like squeakr has been very careful since March so I am sure if they apply the same caution to all that they do and plan ahead, a short trip would be ok.

thelark

this right here - it’s really not that complicated.

PV_Premier

I think the point was that as you emerge from your home and start venturing about, the risk of running into CV19 naturally goes up. The OP seems to be among the very risk averse portion of the population when it comes to CV19 based on their initial post, and the stress of figuring out how to safely take a trip shouldn't overwhelm the ability to enjoy it.

I have taken a few road trips since March but have not flown since it all started. For me being able to control when/where I stop and who I am around at any given moment has been a good balance between maintaining a little bit of travel normalcy and not getting out of my personal risk comfort zone. But this calculus is different for everyone.

corky

I agree...I have not flown or even taken a road trip or stayed in a hotel or eaten indoors at a restaurant and only 4 or 5 times outdoors. But I think the OP was looking for ways to mitigate the risk and there are good suggestions on here. Of course the OP knows staying home is an option but I don't know if the gas station fear is worthy of staying home especially since we get gas even if we don't go on a trip.

Herb687

I've heard absolutely nothing of the sort. That seems like unfounded internet bullsh.

Thinking logically, there's nothing that should make a gas station a hotbed of anything. Assuming you pay at the pump. Gasoline pumps are spaced such that it is incredibly easy to stay at least 6' away from someone else while fueling your car. They're outdoors (save for the canopies) so there's plenty of fresh air circulating.

Thinking you might get cooties from touching a gasoline pump or the payment keypad thereon is approaching the realm of Howard Hughes germophobia.

This is a virus that is spread in an AIRBORNE fashion. The gasoline pump and keypad are no different from any other outdoor hard surface anywhere.

Yes. Do exactly what you would do anywhere else.
There are none.
Ya think?
They're not.
Any gas station has a lot more "ventilation" than any store you've visited. It's called fresh air. If you are high risk then perhaps you shouldn't be traveling but to be specifically and particularly afraid of gas stations where you pay outdoors at the pump is irrational.

gaobest

Because of reading what Herb Baby Herb Baby Herb Baybeeeeee quoted:
”We are in a high-risk group we are absolutely social distancing - been working from home since March 9, only trips are masked and to local stores with plenty of Ventilation. We haven’t been indoors with people besides ourselves except shopping trips since March 9 as well.”

to me, “high-risk group” means don’t mess around. Just don’t. Why bother?
That is why I discouraged Squeakr. I’m either correct or incorrect.

corky

A huge percentage of the population is high risk...anyone who is overweight, has diabetes, is over 60, has high blood pressure, compromised immune system, asthma, etc. IMO, the OP is not being frivolous and is taking the best precautions possible for one very short trip in 8 months .

Herb687

Exactly. If the poster is really in a high-risk group, why take any unnecessary risk?

I believe that there is no special risk inherent in paying at a gasoline station pump and filling up your car. I believe that COVID transmission risk at a gas station pump is far lower than inside a supermarket or pharmacy. But food and drugs are a necessity. Travel is not. So if one is that worried, why bother?