VOA慢速英语2021--专家为安全假日旅行提供建议

As people prepare to visit family and friends during the holiday season, some might be wondering whether it is safe to travel during the ongoing¹ COVID-19 pandemic.

Experts and public health officials say it is currently safe for many people to travel. But they continue to urge everyone to carefully follow proven safety measures to limit virus spread.

In its latest safety guidelines, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges people who are not fully² vaccinated³ to delay travel during the holiday season.

Unvaccinated people who do not travel should wear well-fitting face masks while attending holiday events taking place in indoor settings, the CDC says. It also says that even fully vaccinated individuals should wear face coverings in indoor settings in communities known to have high infection rates.

Unvaccinated people who decide to travel should get a COVID-19 test one to three days before travel and three to five days after returning.

The coronavirus coordinator⁴ for the White House, Jeff Zients, says about 59 percent of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Children ages 5 to 11 were approved for the vaccine⁵ earlier this month. As of last week, 2.6 million children had gotten their first of two shots, Zients said. That is about 10 percent of children eligible⁶ to get vaccinated.

Dr. Keith Armitage is an infectious disease expert at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. He told The Associated Press that all travelers should avoid indoor events with unmasked crowds.

"The Delta⁷ variant⁸ has really brought us back to an earlier time in the pandemic," Armitage said.

There is no requirement for COVID-19 vaccination⁹ or testing for Americans flying within the country. But the CDC says all travelers must still wear masks on trains, planes and in other indoor public transportation areas.

Armitage said hotels do not present a large risk for vaccinated individuals as long as they wear masks around people they do not know. He noted¹⁰ that family gatherings¹¹ with unvaccinated people can be more problematic, especially for those who are older or have health problems.

Health experts suggest looking at the case levels and masking rules in the places people plan to visit before they travel.

Many Americans already started their holiday travel plans last week. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said last Friday, November 19, was the single busiest air travel day since March 2020. The agency said it processed 2.24 million travelers on that day.

Travel group AAA predicts 53.4 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, which falls on November 25. This is up 13 percent from 2020. AAA says about 48.3 million Thanksgiving travelers are expected to go by car. That is up from 47.1 million last year, but still below 2019's 49.9 million.

Words in This Story

mask – n. something that covers part or all of the face

eligible – adj. qualified to take part in a program or activity

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

3 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

6 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

7 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

8 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

9 vaccination   

n.接种疫苗，种痘

参考例句：

• Vaccination is a preventive against smallpox.种痘是预防天花的方法。
• Doctors suggest getting a tetanus vaccination every ten years.医生建议每十年注射一次破伤风疫苗。

10 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

11 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。