Health officials on traveling safely this summer

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - COVID-19 cases are rising in much of the commonwealth and across the country.

No matter where you travel, get ready to put health and safety measures to use.

The area’s testing positivity rate is up to about 12.3%. Still, hospitalizations remain low. Sentara RMH is reporting four patients hospitalized with COVID-19.

“This is not just unique to our health district. This is something we’re experiencing everywhere. That means you need to be not only mindful within CSHD but if you’re planning to travel, really keep that in mind too,” said Jordi Shelton with the Central Shenandoah Health District.

Although cases are slowly increasing, Shelton said it’s there’s no reason to panic, as vaccines are readily available, and cases have risen like this before.

“Cases are rising, but I think it’s important for folks to know we’ve experienced cases rising before. We know how to handle this and how to stay safe. It’s really going to be a matter of re-upping those mitigation measures we talked about in the winter when we were experiencing a surge,” Shelton said.

While much of the area is still in medium to low transmission according to the CDC, masking is a good idea when you’re in close proximity to others. It’s also recommended to test before traveling, whether or not you’re experiencing symptoms. Free at-home tests are still available here.

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