A Universal Travel Risk Assessment Questionnaire: Travel Assessment During COVID-19 Pandemic and Endemicity

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Travel Medicine

Background:

• Military commanders faced challenges with non-uniform COVID-19 travel guidance during the pandemic.
• Existing travel aids and applications lacked frequent updates, posing risks with evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a standardized tool for assessing COVID-19 travel risks.
• To provide consistent and updated travel guidance for military and civilian personnel.

Main Methods:

• Reviewed travel guidance from U.S. Department of Defense, CDC, and international agencies.
• Identified universal components of COVID-19 travel risk.
• Created a universal Travel Risk Assessment Questionnaire (TRAQ).

Main Results:

• The TRAQ assesses numerous risk factors including travel restrictions, mode, duration, destination incidence, lodging, activities, and vaccination status.
• It includes traveler-specific factors like vaccination history, previous infection, and mask compliance.
• Examples demonstrate how TRAQ categorizes travel risk as low, medium, or high.

Conclusions:

• The TRAQ offers an accessible format for travelers to evaluate COVID-19 exposure likelihood.
• It empowers travelers and commanders to better assess and mitigate travel-related COVID-19 risks.
• The questionnaire aims to reduce virus contraction and transmission during and after travel.