Many countries, cities and provinces have already opened up their borders for leisure travel, but COVID-19 is not yet eradicated and we need to remain vigilant for our own safety and those of others.
The tension between resuming travel to boost economies and refraining from spreading the virus has resulted in a new phenomenon referred to as ‘travel shaming.’ Many travellers have experienced hostility from those who feel that travelling aids the spread of the virus, and have been made to feel guilty for possibly contributing to it.
Many travellers feel they are being criticised for enjoying leisure travel.
Others feel that if travelling is legal and can be done in a safe and responsible way, no one has the right to prescribe to someone else how or if they should travel.
The ‘shaming’ is done primarily through social media, typically in response to a traveller posting content of their trips. In other instances, residents of a particular area may behave differently towards tourists if they feel that the tourists might be exposing them to COVID-19.
On a recent trip from New York to Massachusetts, a couple found a note on their car’s windshield saying: ‘Why don’t you go back to New York and spread corona in your own state!’
‘It was a little scary,’ Ann Garner told the Boston Globe. ‘New York has a lower positive test rate than Massachusetts, so if anyone was in danger, it was us.’
Krista Thomason, a Swarthmore College associate professor of philosophy told CNN: ‘Many people canceled vacations or canceled trips to see their loved ones. When they see others enjoying nonessential travel, they may be angry, envious and feel that it’s not fair. People feel like they’ve given up things that are important to them, so they’ll naturally be upset to see that others haven’t done the same.’
Image credit: Pixabay
