The Accolade

Flying cross-country during COVID-19 pandemic unmasks many of my fears

Buckled and ready for her first cross-country flight during the coronavirus pandemic, senior Karen Lee sits in her seat on Delta Air Lines as she waits for the pilot to take off from Los Angeles International Airport. The Accolade’s online graphics editor was excused from school for part of Aug. 14 and the whole day of Aug. 17 so she could travel with her parents and older brother, Daniel, to Georgia’s Emory University in Atlanta, where Lee’s brother will be attending his first year of college. Like several other businesses nationwide, airline passengers are required to wear a face mask before they board their flight.

Karen Lee • September 10, 2020

As the flight attendant handed me a snack bag with a pack of Biscoffs, Cheez-Its, a water bottle and a Purell hand sanitizer packet, I reached to take off my mask to eat the snacks. But I paused, thinking...

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