This is for students choosing not to reside in, or those being released from, the MVSU quarantine and isolation area to complete the quarantine or isolation period away from the campus. These guidelines also apply to any MVSU student traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A student may choose not to reside in the campus quarantine and isolation area, or they may leave the campus quarantine/isolation area at their own request or at the request of their parent(s). And, students may travel to and from the campus for a variety of reasons. Yet, the student must understand the risks associated with such a decision and their subsequent responsibility.
These travel preparations offer guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL), and other governing authorities in keeping MVSU’s campus operational and safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Don’t travel if you are sick or if you have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. Don’t travel with someone who is sick.Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. You should not travel if you are sick or have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days. If you travel:
- Avoid close contact by staying at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from anyone who is not from your household.
- Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when in public settings, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer.
- Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Do not travel with someone who is sick.
- The safest food options: drive-thru, delivery, take-out, and curbside pick-up.
- Make sure you are up to date with your routine vaccinations, including measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and the seasonal flu vaccine.
- Follow state and local recommendations or requirements after you return from travel.
You can get COVID-19 during your travels. You may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to others. You and your travel companions (including children) may spread COVID-19 to other people including your family, friends, and community for 14 days after you were exposed to the virus.
How to Protect Yourself When Going Out
- Wear a mask that covers your nose and mouth to help protect others.
- Choose a mask with two or more layers of washable, breathable fabric that fits snugly against the sides of your face.
- Stay 6 feet apart and avoid crowds.
- The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19.
- Avoid indoor spaces as much as possible, particularly ones that aren’t well ventilated.
- You may find it harder to stay 6 feet apart in indoor spaces.
- Wash your hands often.
- Use soap and water for 20 seconds, especially after you have been in a public place or hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
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Most common symptoms |
Less common symptoms
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Serious symptoms |
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This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as they learn more about COVID-19.
When to seek emergency medical attention
Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:
- Trouble breathing
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion
- Inability to wake or stay awake
- Bluish lips or face
*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you. Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.
Before you travel, consider the following:
- Is COVID-19 spreading at your destination?
- The more cases at your destination, the more likely you are to get infected during travel and spread the virus to others when you return.
- Check each state’s cases in the last 7 days
- Check the CDC’s Travel Recommendations for Destinations Around the World
- Do you live with someone who might be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19?
- If you get infected while traveling, you can spread the virus to loved ones when you return, even if you don’t have symptoms.
- Are you at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19?
- Anyone can get very ill from the virus that causes COVID-19, but older adults and people of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.
- Does your destination have requirements or restrictions for travelers?
- Some state, local, and territorial governments have requirements, such as requiring people to wear masks and requiring those who recently traveled to stay home for up to 14 days. Check state, territorial, tribal and local public health websites for information before you travel. If you are traveling internationally, check the destination’s Office of Foreign Affairs or Ministry of Health or the US Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Country Information page external icon for details about entry requirements and restrictions for arriving travelers, such as mandatory testing or quarantine.
During your trip, take steps to protect yourself and others from COVID-19:
- Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when in public settings, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
- Avoid close contact by staying at least 6 feet apart (about 2 arms’ length) from anyone who is not from your household.
- Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
- Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Transportation
Your chances of getting COVID-19 while traveling depends not only on the length of the trip and the number of stops, but also on whether you and those around you take precautions, such as wearing masks and staying at least 6 feet away from other people. Airports, bus stations, train stations, and rest stops are all places travelers can be exposed to the virus through respiratory droplets or on surfaces. These are also places where it can be hard to keep your distance. In general, the longer you are around a person with COVID-19 (even if they do not have symptoms), the more likely you are to get infected.
When traveling on any public transportation, wear a mask for the duration of your trip, including while waiting in transportation hubs (airports, bus or ferry terminals, train or subway stations, seaports, or similar areas), while on public transportation conveyances (e.g., airplanes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, ride-shares), and at your destination.
During car travel, making stops along the way for gas, food, or bathroom breaks can put you and your traveling companions in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. If traveling in a RV, you may have to stop less often for food or bathroom breaks, but you could still be in close contact with others while staying at RV parks overnight and while getting gas and supplies at public places.
Traveling on buses and trains for any length of time can involve sitting or standing within 6 feet of others, which may increase your risk of getting COVID-19. If you choose to travel by bus or train, learn what you can do to protect yourself on public transportation.
Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. However, keeping your distance is difficult on crowded flights, and sitting within 6 feet of others, sometimes for hours, may increase your risk of getting COVID-19.
The following people should not attend in-person gatherings:
People with or exposed to COVID-19
Do not host or participate in any in-person gatherings if you or anyone in your household
- Has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has not met the criteria for when it is safe to be around others
- Has symptoms of COVID-19
- Is waiting for COVID-19 viral test results
- May have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days
- Is at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Do not host or attend gatherings with anyone who has COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days.
People at increased risk for severe illness
If you are an older adult or person with certain medical conditions who is at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, or live or work with someone at increased risk of severe illness, you should avoid in-person gatherings with people who do not live in your household.
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MVSU
Let's Stay Safe Together!
Wear Your Mask - Keep Your Distance - Wash Your Hands Often
Stay Home If You Are Sick!
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COVID-19 Preparedness and Response
Phone: 662-254-3084 / Email: edevans@mvsu.edu
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References
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html#if-you-travel
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/need-to-know.html