With the news like “the number of new daily [Covid-19] cases has risen almost 50 percent in the U.S. over the past month. The situation is even worse in Europe,“ traveling seems like the farthest choice on anybody’s to do list. Nevertheless travel does happen during this period voluntary or not.
Recently, my wife and I flew to Chicago for our wedding anniversary. I got a first hand look at the state of travel, and it’s not pretty. Michigan Avenue along the Chicago lakefront is the City’s tourism central. It boasts the Magnificent Mile for shopping and Cultural Mile for Arts and other venues.
Sadly, many hotels & restaurants along the Michigan Ave are temporarily closed. Even the ones openned are subject to capacity control. For instance, Giordano’s famous for its Chicago deep dish pizza were limited to 50% capacity. Normally, the line would be out the door. We did not have any problem walk-in and getting seated.
City of Chicago is doing its part. Posting weekly a quarantine list on travel. Mask and social distancing are the norms almost everywhere we went. Ample signages around to remind tourists and residents alike about the Covid-19 and associated precautions. We feel safe. But the impact of the Covid-19 on Chicago local economy is undeniable.
Do you feel it’s safe enough to travel?
Running with Buddha 