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Original poster

AIBU to ask whether you have cancelled or postponed travel/holiday due to Coronavirus

279 replies

croon979 · 25/02/2020 07:22

Up until this weekend I was relatively relaxed about Coronavirus. However, I was due to go to Dublin with work this week for a conference and my organization (global business) has temporarily banned attendance at conferences and all non- essential business travel due to Coronavirus.

It has caused me to read up a bit more about it and I am feeling a bit more anxious about it all. I am a chronic asthmatic very prone to chest infections which usually result in one hospital visit a year.

I am meant to be going to Lanzarote with my family including mum, brother, my husband and children for holiday in early April, a little over a month away. I see there is now a confirmed case in Tenerife!

I mentioned to my family that we may need to keep an eye on it and could need to cancel postpone if things escalate. Most thought this was an overreaction. Maybe it is. I wasn’t saying we definitely should but just wanted to put on their radar that we may need to.

Has anyone else postponed travel or holiday plans in light of this virus?

OP posts:
Original poster
croon979 · 26/02/2020 10:05

I know - I do feel that the actual figures must be much higher than is being reported

OP posts:
ajandjjmum · 26/02/2020 10:54

NichyNoo
True re. HK, but if you have any onward travel it's not as straightforward. DD was travelling to the Philippines via HK on Cathay - the Philippines won't let her in from HK, and Cathay wouldn't cancel her ticket without charge. And AXA don't want to know.

But as others have said, health is more precious than money.

luckylavender · 26/02/2020 11:00

@Samcarpy92 - well it's flourishing in hotter climates currently, so unless you're a specialist medical professional or virologist, let's wait & see shall we?

Monsterellacheese · 26/02/2020 11:01

We are flying out to Stockholm in 2 weeks and I'm worried about being in busy airports.

Hobbesmanc · 26/02/2020 11:11

OH is going to Pakistan with work tomorrow and to the States three weeks later. I'm ok at the moment with this- I work in Healthcare- so I feel really up to speed on the pandemic plans as I share an office with our group lead for preparation. She's been working flat out though on drafting plans etc

Thenextstorm · 26/02/2020 14:13

This is an interesting time in history, either it will fizzle out or it could be a real pivotal point. I feel there is an upside for the environment if people stop travelling but then the poor people working in hotels etc who may lose their lively hood. Global economy could be massively impacted on-going, on top of the climate crisis and Brexit who knows how this will all pan out...

MsTSwift · 26/02/2020 15:15

I agree TheNext. I wonder if in 20 years we will look back and be horrified at the amount of international travel we all did. Look at this thread! Not criticising we were just as bad. We were flying most school holidays. Not any more. Am flying once this year dh not at all and we love travel.

zafferana · 26/02/2020 15:20

We're going to Israel at Easter and I'm much more concerned about the airport than I am about our destination, which has so far had no cases. TBH, I'm not that worried about us (two adults and two DC - all in good health), but a 14-day quarantine would be really disruptive and prevent DH working/DC going to school. I'm really hoping this outbreak fizzles out once the weather warms up. I'm hoping for an early, warm spring this year!

Ssmiler · 26/02/2020 17:49

I have a holiday booked for five of us to go to Italy in April. I just checked our annual insurance which is a “superior” policy with post office. It won’t pay out if you cancel because the FCO advise not to travel to the area. BUT if you travel against FCO advice you’re not covered while away! How that can be a superior policy is beyond me. I double checked on post office website and that confirmed it - no cancellation cover if FCO advise no travel for policies beginning with TT - which mine is
So don’t assume you’ll be covered if FCO advise against travel - I’m not Confused

FatimaLovesBread · 26/02/2020 18:01

Where are these warmer climates its flourishing in @luckylavender
At the moment it is predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere where weather is still cooler with lower UV and air humidity levels.
Admittedly there have been some cases in Australia but I am not aware of their origin. I'll look in to it further

I agree that how it behaves in warmer, more humid air with higher UV levels as we get closer to Summer will be key

FatimaLovesBread · 26/02/2020 18:03

Just looked and theres some confirmed cases in India. Off to go read about those

luckylavender · 26/02/2020 18:35

@FatimaLovesBread - Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore

Original poster
croon979 · 26/02/2020 18:44

I have been tied up in meetings all day and have just clicked onto the news now. It feels like there has been quite a bit of escalation today. Has the WHO still not called this a pandemic yet?

OP posts:
drina27 · 26/02/2020 18:46

Not a pandemic yet. (They try not to use that term these days.)

cologne4711 · 26/02/2020 18:46

My son is going to Rome on a college trip on Friday. I'm not worried except for possible self-isolation once he gets back if things have escalated at all. I don't really want him stuck at home for two weeks! And I hope to goodness that they don't find cases in Rome while he is there and he doesn't get stuck there.

Interesting that we didn't get this when cases were found in York and Brighton. Is that because the Italians are panicking or because the UK is too blase? Or both?

drina27 · 26/02/2020 18:47

Safer to postpone holidays abroad tbh. I shall be in Aberdeenshire instead of Heidelberg thus summer.

drina27 · 26/02/2020 18:47

this

Lucked · 26/02/2020 18:50

We have one UK holiday booked for the summer, we had planned to go away abroad late summer and to look for last minute deals at Easter but we have decided to stop looking.

We are due to go to London in 3 weeks for a show and I fear that may be peak UK outbreak at that time. So have to consider that shows and theatre may all be closed.

Lucked · 26/02/2020 18:59

The other thing that might happen is that we have all had it by the summer and hopefully you can only get it once.

Thenextstorm · 26/02/2020 19:03

Not a pandemic yet. (They try not to use that term these days.)

I heard criticism on R4 yesterday that the WHO won't call it a pandemic as they then have to release emergency funding and also that they want to appease the Chinese. It was a pretty damning comment but for the life of me can't remember who from? Yesterday's Today programme...

drina27 · 26/02/2020 19:08

@Thenextstorm
Ah. I can actually believe that is the real reason. Pathetic, if so.

QuitMoaning · 26/02/2020 19:09

Flights booked for two weeks time to visit friends in Northern Italy. We have resigned ourselves to not going.
I also have flights booked to Southern Italy in April and September so hoping that will be resolved by then....

mumto2teenagers · 26/02/2020 19:12

I think I would only not go on holiday if the foreign office advised against it, we live near London and think we are probably as much at risk on the tube as in other parts of europe

catismychild · 26/02/2020 19:35

@ajandjjmum when was your DD due to travel? I'm off to the Philippines's in May with a stop over in China. From what I've read the ban is currently until the 28th March, just hoping they don't extend it!

heroineinahalfshell · 26/02/2020 19:40

We have a holiday booked in Tuscany in June (so far only paid for flights). Hoping all of this has ended by then. Normally I wouldn't let it bother me, but I'll be 29 weeks pregnant at the time so not willing to take the risk if there are confirmed cases in the region. So we may be cancelling, covered by insurance or not.