School trip to southern Italy

[sopsmum]

My child is meant to be travelling to Naples over the Easter holidays for a school trip to Pompeii. AIBU to hope it doesn't get cancelled? I get that there is a quarantine risk but we are just as likely to have a spike in cases here over the next week or so (and we are not enforcing isolation). Other parents just want the school to cancel. AIBU to hope that they don't and the trip goes ahead or am I being naive? We won't be insured unless the FOC recommend no travel.

Rookie I don't agree. In the absence of official instruction not to travel, if the school unilaterally cancel that is their cost. They will be (or should be) insured for that separately under their business type insurance (in the same way that if a teacher left the school and so a trip was cancelled they would be insured). That's the way my dcs school is dealing anyhow - we finally had an email! I think we will be going ahead unless FOC advice changes. Currently if we withdraw, our cost, if the school withdraws their cost. That's what they have said anyhow.

Naples has still not had an explosion of cases so I don't understand the comments about putting others at risk. There are cases in the uk too but I'm still sending my children to school and going about my usual life. I say that as a potentially vulnerable person too. You know the economy will be totally tanked for years if we all prematurely panic don't you? If people don't fly the airlines will go bust and need to be bailed out. Tourist areas will be very worried indeed. Likewise if schools shut unnecessarily many businesses will fail due to the consequence of having no workforce.

Nat, that is very interesting. Are you able to get him tested in your area? I think I would want to know.

I totally agree with you OP. I did that same school trip in year 9 (with a few days in Rome too) and it was one of the best holidays I've ever been on. It was such a fantastic experience. I'm sure they'll all be fine and have a wonderful time!

Hmm wondering if our DC's are at same school. DS also due to go on that trip at Easter. Her had asthma and related conditions too. I think I am currently more of a risk working at a university with a high proportion of students from overseas, China in particular.

I'd be gutted if it's cancelled unless it's on Govt advice (although unexpected windfall of £800+ would be nice). DS2 who also has asthma had swine flu as a baby and was v ill for 2 weeks but could manage him at home. Made me a bit braver about these things

My DD is due to go on a Spanish exchange next week and to Italy in October; DS is going to the States on an amazing trip in Jan 21. I and they, will be gutted if any of them are cancelled.

Last night, the teacher said that unless and until the FCO ban travel to Spain, the trip will go ahead because they will lose the money, but that if we want to withdraw our girls, we can, but we will lose the money paid so far......seems fair enough to me. The infection rate in children is almost nil and they are going to a very isolated part of Spain - they are being told to be rigorous about hand washing (as we should all be anyway, even without this virus) and to have fun and learn lots of Spanish.

The school are really in a lose/lose position over trips. They then have to go by FCO advice and go unless told not to, if parents won't cover the cost of cancellation. I'm glad I'm not a teacher on one of these trips, it must be so stressful at the moment.

Even today north italy (apart from the really affected towns ) is category B - so only quarantine if sick

So insurance won’t pay !

@sopsmum Dds school have just emailed to say her trip is now cancelled, waitig to hear about refund, have you had any update? Disappointing but I guess not much else they could do, hoping it'll be rescheduled.

Our school haven't confirmed about anything either way yet. I was surprised as I thought we would hear today. I don't see how they can go given the FCO advice. I'm hopeful we will be insured either through the school policy or if that one has excluded this sort of thing our own annual policy. No point them going with all the main sites closed but I'm very disappointed.

No one can go , the whole freaking country is shut down and in quarantine

That may not be the case though by April.

That's exactly it. We are meant to be travelling after the 3 April - which is currently the lockdown date for museums etc. It doesn't take a genius to work out that will probably be extended but the fear is that the insurers drag their heels in confirming cover.

I’ve written off the bloody money almost
Alitalia won’t answer the Phone
Axa won’t either

🤷‍♀️

But my flight money is nothing compared to people losing their livelihood

Our school had to cancel the Spanish trip which was due to depart tomorrow as the girls were doing an exchange with a school near Madrid, which has obviously had to close from today, and there are unconfirmed reports of a parent being in quarantine. So I'm not sure what happens from an insurance point of view now - obviously our Government haven't stopped travel to Spain, but the Madrid authorities made it impossible for our children to go......they have said it is "Cancelled or postponed - depending on the conversations with the insurers and the other school". Their children are due to come back in April - when we'll probably be in school lockdown.....!

You wont be able to go. All flights will be cancelled by the end of this week. The home isolation/ no travel policy is in place until April 3rd and more than likely weill be longer. It would make it even worse if our own infection was peaking by then as you would be introducing more cases to Italy. This problem is here to stay for a bit