As founder and CEO of Stone Clinical Laboratories, I get asked a lot of questions. One such question is What’s going to happen for summer? Will we still be living with COVID-19?
Summertime is here and the living (may be getting) easier! Hopefully we are seeing the light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel. From what I have seen – as founder and CEO of a firm that works on increasing accessibility for physicians at Stone Clinical Laboratories – this depends on each state. Overall however, the US seems to be moving in the right direction. Which is great as everyone for sure needs a fun summer probably more than ever!
Now that we have seen a greater percentage of Americans receiving the vaccination to protect them from suffering with COVID-19 there is far greater activity than the pre-vaccination drive. According to a recent report from the CDC, with vaccinations and people executing care in their day-to-day living, the virus really could be under control in the coming weeks/months.
We are also witnessing Europe opening up for non-essential travel. Not only is this great news for those desperate to leave the four walls that they have been cooped up in, but it is also welcome data for airline stocks that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
Summer camps for kids are opening again. Last year was particularly hard on those parents who rely on these programs to get their work done and not have to worry about their children who are in a safe, fun environment. While masks will still be required at the airport and on flights, the airports will likely be teeming with people. Even though airlines are attempting to spread people out on the plane, the airports will not follow suit.
A lot more planning will be required for people traveling. Book your Uber/Lyft service to the airport as much in advance as possible as they are getting busy and prices seem to be raising too. If you want a car while you are away, do a price comparison on a daily basis as there does not seem to be a standard fee at the moment. Similar advice for accommodation.
This summer truly has the potential to be wonderful. Lots of planning, careful attention to detail and a general understanding that the carefree days of travel and tourism will take a while to return to our lives.