Should people cancel travel plans in light of the coronavirus outbreak
Coronavirus had been a significant reason for a lot of people canceling tours and trips. This virus has affected people worldwide, and if you’re a part of the troubled nation and feel hesitant about traveling, you should know that your trip should have safety as it’s a top priority. Throughout everything, you should stay updated with everything developing change related to COVID-19
Following this, these are a few things travelers should be aware of during the
Should you cancel your travel plans because of the current outbreak
What is Coronavirus
This virus is a contagious one and is related to respiratory functions. Around 80% of people reported being cured easily without any significant treatment. This outbreak first reported in Wuhan, China. With rapid speed, this has spread to 61 countries, with +85.000 reported cases out of these almost 79,000 are in China. This virus seems to target weaker immune systems, such as older adults who have any illness, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, or diabetes. These people are most likely to develop severe cases of the virus (COVID-19)
Since the 26th of February, there have been a total of 2800 deaths due to the infection, whereas 28,000 people recovered from illness. These facts were stated by the world health organization. Wuhan’s fatality rate has reported being nearly 2-4% and 0.7% in different regions. This ratio is a much better percentage from the earlier epidemics of Coronavirus, which were SARS and MERS, identified in 2003 and 2012, respectively. SARS had reported having a fatality rate of 10% whereas MERS was 35%
Why should I cancel my traveling plans
The higher possible risk of catching the virus is from people in China and those who have recently visited China. People in the health care system or close contacts of the patient with Coronavirus are the ones who have the highest risk of infection. Whereas, if a person has come back from China and has spent 14 days without showing any signs of the illness that are not harmful and cannot spread the virus
According to the Centers for Disease Control, it has recommended avoiding any unnecessary travels to China, Epicenters of the outbreak as well as South Korea has offered limited access to proper medical treatment
Prevention
It is also an excellent option to not travel to Italy, or Japan since these places have had a rapid increase in the number of cases reported. An important check-up point has been set up for the country to check their travelers. The region near Milan, Lombardy, has 11 towns affected. Venice has also canceled it’s Carnival, and the one rushed city now looks abandoned. There’s still hope, places like Florence are still safe to visit. Mostly the rest of the country is free from the virus
Where can I find up-to-date travel information concerning COVID-19
It’s always a safety precaution to check up with the locations for any advisors and cancellations of your trip. The CDC has been updating their sites for training updates. Worldly out real news is also updated on the New York Times. COVID-19 cases have regularly updated from WHO, reporting cases regularly, and answering questions from concerned travelers
Should I cancel my travel plans
There is uncertainty involved in the marking of where the virus will break. This outbreak makes it challenging to know if future travels will be possible. If you’ve already booked a trip, try to check the cancellation processes to avoid penalties and go forth with the cancellation of the booking, if possible, once it has offered. Many airlines have reduced their prices for travel to China. US-based airlines such as United, Delta, and many more have stopped flights to China permanently till April. If you are booking flights, make sure you check the airline’s waiver and rebooking policies
CDC has also recommended not to travel through cruises either, especially from Asian countries. Norwegian cruise lines have also canceled cruises linked with Asian countries. The Cruise Lines International Association has made screening check-ups much more strict and has cut off any Asian-based excursions. Even though these cruises account for almost 90% of all oceanic boats
Travel insurance is the way to go for this year. Such insurance offers a cancellation plan known as the” cancel for any reason” insurance. This insurance allows the customer to cancel trips by having 50-75% of the prepaid costs covered if not by the standard policy
Traveling in such circumstances could potentially pose a treaty to your health even though some countries have not reported any case of COVID-19 that could easily change in no time. Busy areas such as airports, train stations could carry a higher risk
And remember to wash your hands regularly and carry a sanitizer throughout the entire time
Stay safe