Staying as Safe as Possible During COVID-19

Whether and wherever, pandemic or endemic, COVID-19 is still present. Yes, May of 2023 saw the ending of the public health emergency declared by HHS under the Public Health Service Act. That said, Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures chooses to remain vigilant in efforts to keeping participants and "spousal units" as safe as possible. Not only is there Long COVID, but Margo and others are immune compromised, whilesome participants are "of a certain age." While healthy, one never wants to contract Covid or any of its nasty variants or mutations. To that end, BCPA continues to ...

Select accommodations based on their adherence to CDC guidelines;

Maintain its own COVID-19 protocols; and

Monitor state and country mandates.

BCPA recommends that everyone coming to any workshop start by checking out the latest CDC COVID-19 information and clicking on links from there. Also check out their page for travelers.

Since October 2020, we have been running workshops with strict adherence to safety protocols. To the right, you will see a Quotable Quotes balloon from alumni, many of them from health-care workers themselves or those who are immune compromised. They have trusted us to do the right things to keep our BCPA family as safe as possible.

Everyone who fills out an application must read and affirm that each participant (and guest if any) has:

• Been fully vacinated and boosted against COVID-19 acording to current CDC guidelines;
• Been tested (self or otherwise) for COVID-19 five days before the start of the workshop/reunion;
• Been careful to avoid situations where she/he might be infected after testing;
• Has/Have NOT experienced symptoms of (please read carefully):
  • fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher;
  • cough;
  • shortness of breath or difficulty breathing;
  • chills;
  • muscle pain;
  • sore throat;
  • new loss of taste or smell;
  • fatigue;
  • body aches;
  • headache;
  • congestion or runny nose;
  • nausea or vomiting;
  • diarrhea; or
  • any other symptoms relating to COVID-19 or any communicable disease;
• Out of respect for leader(s) and fellow participants, if anyone exhibits any of the above, CDC-listed symptoms, he/she will not attend the workshop (or reunion) and risk infecting others; Iplease note that Barefoot Contessa Photo Adventures encourages everyone to take out trip insurance that covers COVID-19 (see our Allianz link for such coverage);
and
• Anyone who develops any of the above, CDC-listed symptoms during a BCPA workshop or reunion will be asked to leave, notify our inn or hotel, and if appropriate, seek medical attention.

COVID-19 VACCINATIONS

The Barefoot Contessa (Margo) has two CDC cards full of Covid-19 shots and thus far has a total of ten vaccinations/boosters that she notes in her own address/contacts page to keep track (along with Shingles and Tetanus).

COVID-19 TESTING — 2 TYPES

As of September 2024, every US household is once again eligible to receive up to four self-testing kits per month.

If you cannot wait or need more, BCPA has had excellent results with the Abbott Labs COVID-19 AG BinaxNOW Antigen Self Test that, according to their website, is "conveniently sold just about anywhere." QuickVue At-Home OTC Covid-19 Test may be rated even better.

Before you decide which is best for you, the CDC has an excellent page on self testing. updated August of 2024.

At home or on the road and monitored by a health professional and suitable for international travel:

Depending on the location of the workshop or for other reasons, you may be required to bring verifiable proof of a negative COVID-19 test with you, but that is less common. We will advise if this is the case and for such purposes, we recommend eMed's monitored COVID-19 Telehealth Kit that has received emergency FDA approval for rapid antigen testing. There are other brands out there, but we have successfully used these to gain entry into some other countries, including back to the US, so we know first-hand that it works. Some of our participants bought another brand that was highly rated by the medical community until our participants found that the testing locations no longer existed, so beware. Pay attention, to any warnings on any tests that indicate ... "DO NOT OPEN UNTIL..."

This is something that you should plan on getting suitably ahead of your trip to allow plenty of time for shipping. And do buy extras for insurance. The self-test, by the way, is easy, and when we were out of the country, it all worked perfectly. Those who have had issues were those who procrastinated. Once signed up, you will need to test it before you leave home to make sure you can access the system (but do not do the test if you do not need to).

Allow plenty of time for the test, and make sure you have a strong Internet connection; if you are doing on your smart phone, make sure you have plenty of battery life.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

Many of us over the decades have not bought travel insurance, but these days with all the uncertainties regarding the COVID-19 variants, it really pays to get covered in case of health issues, including COVID-19 ones. Until recently, the insurance companies did not cover anything to do with COVID-19, and many people were caught short when they changed the parameters of their policies only to find the insurance companies had reduced coverage.

There are many companies out there, but we have created a page on Travel Insurance through Allianz that may be bought through Sharon Erickson or directly through Allianz, and we highly recommend that you take advantage of what they offer while also checking other sources. The links to both Sharon and Allianz are on that page.

TRAVELING TO THE WORKSHOP

Please don't be blasé, because even those who have had all their shots have gotten cases of COVID-19. One does not have to be paranoid, but it pays to remain vigilant while traveling and use COVID-deterring practices, including good hand hygiene by washing as often as possible for at least 20 seconds with soap, using disinfectant wipes often, making sure your mask covers both your nose and mouth, maintaining social distancing as much as possible. In 2021, we traveled out of the country for two trips, in 2022 for four overseas destinations, and in 2023 for an overseas workshop, and we stayed healthy the whole time.

Remember that traveling has changed, for heightened security reasons if nothing else, so allow more time and be ready for longer queues and differences with check-in and seating. Check for special policies and procedures in advance with your carriers, airports, and hotels.

Along those lines, we have excellent news from Sharon Erickson, our travel agent of choice.

As an American Express company, their licensed products are from Allianz [pronounced OLL-ee-ONS]. They have modified many of their plans to include generous COVID coverage and flexible terms."

For those who were frustrated by trip insurance that suddenly didn't cover COVID-19, we could not be happier.

DURING OUR WORKSHOPS

• We will adhere to the guidelines for prevention that the US CDC issues as noted here on their site. Where appropriate, BCPA guidelines may be stricter.
• We will follow and adhere to any and all local guidelines and rules regarding COVID-19.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Guests will be in single rooms as long as they are available, and for certain overseas adventures, a single supplement will be charged.

INTERNATIONAL RETURN TO THE US FROM OVERSEAS WORKSHOPS

Understand that travel in the age of COVID and changing economies is different, and there are risks of travel disruption involved. You should plan ahead for this possibility by making sure that you have enough prescription medications and personal items to last you through any possible delays or quarantine situations. Again, we cannot stress enough the importance of travel insurance. In the long run, better to pay for it than to lose monies spent on a trip!