Although many Spaniards are still under orders to stay home to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, some states have begun to take steps to reopen businesses. And, as millions of people return to the workplace, many will no doubt depend on public transportation.
If you are one of these, you probably have doubts about how to avoid getting germs on your route.
Whether you need to take public transportation soon or just want to be ready for the future, we help you.
11 tricks to avoid contagion in the subway and bus
Pay before traveling
If you must travel by train or bus, use transportation that has a contactless payment. Using contactless payment, such as "touch and go" cards or prepayment methods through smartphone apps, you can quickly buy your ride and avoid contact with station agents and drivers to potentially reduce transmission of the virus.
In fact, some public transportation authorities have begun to institute these best practices to encourage social distancing and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Keep the social distance
Although it can be challenging on board a bus or train, do your best to practice social distancing to the fullest extent. And not only during the trip, but especially while waiting at bus stops, or getting in and out of the vehicle.
These doors are choke points, which means they can easily be crowded, congested, or locked with a bunch of travelers in a hurry. The last thing you want is to be side by side with someone who may be infected.
That is why it is essential to keep at least 2 meters away at all times. In fact, a May 2020 study published in Health Affairs found that places without social distancing exhibited a 35-fold increased risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Use the rear exit
A simple way to safely distance yourself socially is to avoid interactions with bus drivers when exiting or entering the vehicle through the rear doors. Drivers, who meet passengers all day, are still the people most likely to get infected.
So ideally you should get in and out the back, unless you're a passenger with special needs or disabilities.
And, to keep transit operators from getting sick, many public transit agencies have begun handing out supplies, such as face masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and sanitizing wipes, to keep their employees safe.
But minimizing your contact with drivers is still key to their health and theirs.
Keep in mind that the more transit workers become infected, the fewer will be available to operate public transportation. This means fewer buses and trains to carry the same number of passengers.
Wear a mask
Whenever you are on public transport, wear a mask and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Wearing glasses is also recommended to reduce the urge to put your hands in your eyes. Doing so helps reduce the risk of the virus reaching you through drops and sprays.
That is exactly the reason why some public transport authorities require passengers to cover their faces when traveling.
Still, wearing a mask is not a substitute for social estrangement. Rather, it offers another layer of protection and helps you prevent the unintended spread of the virus to other travelers, especially if you are pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic.
Stay still
With the exception of going to a new seat to avoid someone who is clearly ill or does not wear a mask, the ideal is to try to stay in one place during your trip to minimize contact with people.
This goes back to the idea of social distancing. The fewer encounters you have with potentially sick people, the better.
And it goes both ways. If you're a COVID-19 carrier and don't know it, you don't want the virus to accidentally spread throughout the subway or train. In fact, an April 2020 study published in Nature Medicine estimated that 44 percent of infections occur due to pre-symptomatic people, that is, those who have not yet shown symptoms.
Use a hand sanitizer
Using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after traveling on a train or bus seems like a no-brainer. But did you know that you should also put some disinfectant on your hands as soon as you get on the subway or the bus? In this way, you reduce the risk of contaminating both surfaces and getting infected.
Remember, we all must take responsibility for staying safe and stopping the spread of this deadly virus among our communities. That means doing what is necessary to prevent others from contracting your germs.
This is especially essential if you are infected with COVID-19 but do not show any signs. In fact, it can take anywhere from five days to two weeks for symptoms to develop, according to a May 2020 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Meanwhile, as the virus hatches, you can pass on your pathogens without realizing it to others on public transportation. Even asymptomatic people who never exhibit indicators of disease can transmit the coronavirus.
Okay, but what should you do if you don't have hand sanitizer? Try to touch as few things as possible during your trip, wear disposable gloves if you have them, and wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds as soon as you can.
Do not touch anything
Whether you have hand sanitizer or not, generally avoiding surfaces on the subway or train is a safe strategy. This is because the new coronavirus can last on various surfaces from a few hours to several days.
If possible, do not touch anything, including the seat itself. You can hold onto posts or rails with disinfecting wipes. That said, many public transportation agencies are also doing their part to reduce COVID-19 transmission by disinfecting their vehicles on a daily basis.
Choose the hours of least activity
If you have room for maneuver in your schedule, try to avoid traveling by public transport during rush hour. By adjusting your travel hours, you can dodge the times when trains and buses are busiest.
And whenever possible, stay away from the subway and bus routes that traverse today's coronavirus hot spots. It might be worth walking a little further to another station if it is located in a part of the city with lower infection rates or tends to be less congested.
Many public transportation authorities are also making strategic changes to keep passengers safer during peak hours. With that said, never get into a crowded vehicle and always give yourself extra time in case you need to wait for a less crowded train or bus.
Avoid conversations
While it is always important to be considerate and courteous to your fellow travelers, your daily commute should not be the time for conversation. Don't let a stranger (or anyone really) engage you in a conversation.
This is because COVID-19 can be transmitted through respiratory drops not only when a sick person coughs or sneezes, but simply when they speak. And since infected people may show no symptoms, it's hard to know who carries the coronavirus in the first place.
In fact, tiny respiratory drops produced by regular speech can stay in the air for at least eight minutes, according to a May 2020 study published in PNAS. These findings seem to show that speaking normally can easily transmit the coronavirus, especially in confined environments with little air circulation such as trains and buses.
Avoid eating inside the subway
On a busy day, you can use your travel time for a snack. But in the era of the new coronavirus pandemic, eating on the go is not a smart idea.
On the one hand, you must remove your mask to have a quick bite. Once again, a face covering not only helps protect you from pesky pathogens, it also prevents your germs from flying freely in the air and infecting other passengers.
Also, chances are, no matter how diligent you are at keeping your hands on yourself, you've probably touched a dirty surface at some point during your trip.
Although there is no evidence that you can contract the coronavirus from contaminated food, it is still not recommended to put your hands near your mouth in public. That's because, without a mask, you're likely to touch your face, too, and if you have germs on your gloves, they can get to other entry points of infection, like your nose and eyes.
The same rule applies to drinks too. Leave your water bottle in your bag; otherwise, the germs you picked up on public transportation can catch and infect you later.
Use another mode of transportation
If you have another way to travel, use it. I think it is a good idea to avoid public transportation if possible and allow people who have no other choice to travel more safely.
The point is that the virus is still present in our communities, so taking public transport, where you will meet many people, puts you and others at risk of contracting COVID-19.
Infection prevention is a shared responsibility. In other words, we all must do our part to stay safe and protect others. That means if traveling by train or bus is not absolutely essential, don't do it.
Whenever possible, walk or bike to work. Not only will you reduce your risk of contracting or spreading the coronavirus, but you will also record a few hours of heart-healthy exercise and possibly improve your mental health.
