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Does Getting A COVID-19 Test Mean You Can Safely Travel? Probably Not.

flickr/City of Greenville, North Carolina
Someone gets tested for Covid-19 outdoors

COVID-19 testing sites around the Bay Area are seeing an increase in testing. At a press conference on Monday, San Francisco’s Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax reminded people that a negative test result does not mean that it’s safe to gather with others over the holidays.

“Remember, please remember - people who test negative can still harbor the virus if they are early in their infection.”

Let’s say you get exposed to COVID-19 on a Sunday, and get tested the next day: the test won’t pick up the virus yet. 

Dr. Colfax says, we can’t take any chances right now:

“The choices we, the choices you, the choices I make in the next two weeks will determine the remainder of this holiday season.”

And Dr. Colfax says that if you do choose to gather this Thanksgiving, he urges you to meet with no more than six people, to stay outdoors, and to keep your masks on. 

Wren Farrell (he/him) is a writer, producer and journalist living in San Francisco.