Last week I agreed to bring my sister’s dog to her in Minnesota from San Diego.  She was helping another sister recover from Covid-19 and had left her dog, Yogi, behind for a month.  As things were improving all around I weighed the risks and decided that if I remained vigilant and practiced all advice about social distancing and mask wearing I should be okay.  Granted, I was a bit nervous especially when my daughters voiced their disapproval. 

I kept myself informed on all the airport, airline and TSA policy changes for my journey.  Once at the airport there were numerous announcements to remind people of the new rules. Coming from San Diego where masks are mandatory if you come within 6 feet of someone you don’t live with I knew there would be potential problems. At best I would guess that only 1 out of 20 wear them here!

Traffic has been increasing at most airports lately but the numbers are still way down from normal.  Only a few shops, lounges and food-to-go places are open and it is possible to keep a relatively safe distance from other travelers at the gate.  The agents routinely announced that passengers should be wearing masks, keeping space between anyone in line and boarding from the rear of the plane.  My first leg went smoothly even though I had to change seats after wiping it down because the dog carrier would not fit under the seat. Delta did a good job of separating passengers and flew with many empty seats. 

My second flight left me feeling less protected as there were a few travelers who did not wear masks even though the agents were offering free ones to anyone who did not have one.  I read later that the employees were asked not to be confrontational or expected to enforce the new policies.  I, too, decided not to start any fights! BTW, there is no service on board such as drinks or snacks other than the little bag pictured above.