An airport employee checks a passenger’s temperature before they are allowed to board their flight at Washington-Dulles International Airport on November 10, 2020. | Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images

The first one is whether you should be traveling at all.

The “third wave” of coronavirus infections has arrived in America. Reported cases in a single day hit a record high of over 150,000 on November 13, and nationwide, we’re seeing a record number of hospitalizations, surpassing that of April.

Travel surveys suggest that with the upcoming holidays, a number of Americans are still planning to fly or drive to a destination, either to visit family or for vacation, despite the risks involved. Plus, some college campuses are wrapping up their in-person semesters by Thanksgiving, requiring many students to return home until the spring term.

The uptick in car and plane trips during previous