AIBU to cancel holiday?

[Nostrings457]

Booked to go to Malta in May - holiday balance is due tomorrow (over 6k). Travelling with young children and 1 aduly is aged 65+

Malta has no coronavirus cases currently but who knows what will happen between now and May. I dont want to pay the balance and then risk trying to claim off insurance if we dont go.

I suppose its more a what would you do than aibu?

(I know the risk is so low, influenza kills more people etc.. but i dont want to end up in quarantine with 3 young kids somewhere either)

DH and I are going to Portugal in early May, all paid for so we're going unless the FCO say don't

Please cancel now. We've been virus free so far and don't want tourists bringing it in from the UK.

No offence and hope I will not get banned.

But adults really need to decide for themselves and family members and not rely on Mumsnet. I know it is nice to get a steer from posters but the decision has to be yours.

FWIW we are staycationing this year. We might still be exposed/get the virus but at least we will be in the country where family could help out in a pinch. Not worth the risk for us right now.

Please cancel now. We've been virus free so far and don't want tourists bringing it in from the UK

99.99+% of the UK is also virus free (as are most of the regions/countries where people who go on holiday to Portugal come from) so is it really necessary for everyone to ruin their holidays as well as bankrupting the tourist industry in a country that heavily relies on it when the risk of bringing the virus is pretty much zero?

Just pointing out the irony of people in a country with coronavirus worried about travelling to regions still virus free.

Nothing would stop me. By May there will be as much chance of catching it here. Go and enjoy it. Malta’s lovely in May.

Please cancel now. We've been virus free so far and don't want tourists bringing it in from the UK.

Right, so you’d rather the tourist industry collapsed and people lose their money rather than the vanishingly small chance that someone on holiday brings over the virus?

Given that between now and May thousands of people will have traveled from the U.K. to Portugal I don’t see why that poster should cancel her holiday.

FFS

I'm going to Geneva in 2 weeks, even thought the event we were going to has been cancelled, we wouldn't get the money back for the flights as the UK government haven't advised against going there, so we'll make use of them.

I'm sure things will be fine.

It's not how many cases we have now, it's how it will multiply between now and May. Last week we had 9 cases and today we have 23!

I was planning to go to Singapore in June. I think things will have to change a lot for me to go. Luckily no flights booked and I'd be staying with a friend. Its a shame because its something that we've talked about for years, and the timing would have been fantastic, but as it is at the moment I won't risk it - I'm asthmatic and really really don't want to end up in a hospital on the other side of the world.

Don't go. I am not booking anything until this gets under control. Not worth the risk.

I've got a holiday booked on a Canary Island in two weeks. The only thing I'm worried about is whether airports will be closed or the hotel won't be open. The advise about sneezing into a tissue (because surely most people try and do that) is obvious. The precaution I'm going to be taking is having a mini hand sanitisor with me as I go through the airport procedures. And trying to remember to not rub my eyes.

If the experts/scientists/Goverment haven't got a clue what's the point of altering significant plans?

@FlamingoAndJohn
See my 22:26 post.

It's about minimizing your risk and exposure where you can.

Yes it's pretty much inevitable that this infection will be pandemic. BUT if we can slow down its spread then we can reduce the number of people who need medical help at any one time from the NHS.

That will help save lives.

I'm genuinely really surprised by how many people are saying not to go on holiday. We are due to go away as a family in April with kids including babies. We have medical profs in the family. Noone has thought it would be unsafe to go.

@newmumlast

Not sure why we live in a pathetic panic ridden country.

I’d definitely go

We're going to Fuerteventura in May. We booked it yesterday, the price of the holiday had come down by 33% since Monday. I've arranged extra luggage allowance so I can take a months supply of medication just incase we do get put in quarantine but unless I'm told not to go then I'm going.

Good move, TheFairyCaravan and I'm on countdown for my holiday, can't wait!

We are going to Europe at Easter and still intend to go also with a medical professional in the group who thinks it is fine to go. Take all the sensible precautions, keep an eye on the FCO advice, but I trust them to give the right advice. Sensible precautions and responsible behaviour yes, but panic really helps noone in my view.

I think you're ok to go. Just make sure you're all washing your hands often.

At a population level, the less we move around, the more we stay in, the slower a disease spreads. The more mobile a population, the quicker it spreads. This is really obvious.

A lot of people here are not giving advice based on whether they think one individual will be safe (probably yes) but based on whether this is the right thing to do as part of a wider population (almost certainly no).

The fact of the matter is, when people say they plan to "go about their daily life, not going to let a little bit of corona virus stop me!" there is a huge probability they are right.... personally. However, if everyone who is going to catch the virus catches it quickly and at the same time, the NHS WILL be overwhelmed, and the case fatality rate WILL go up. If we all keep going on holiday, to football matches, concerts, etc, more people WILL die. You will, also, of course, increase your own chances of being in this number, but not hugely.

Now of course, it will be very unlikely for there to be a direct line of causation from one person going on holiday to any individual's death, but on a statistical basis, just as more travel causes more global warming, it will also cause more death from covid-19. Of course, we don't stop travelling due to global warming concerns, either. Washing your hands and still travelling to, say, Thailand is like recycling your coke can whilst... well... travelling to Thailand (sorry Thailand!).

So, are you on team society, or team virus?

I want to add to my previous post - I think a month ago, people would not have blinked about going on holiday. I think a month from now, if this continues spreading as it has elsewhere in the world, people's decisions will be much clearer. I hope that I am being a complete doom monger and that I am entirely wrong, but looking at the places who are a month or so ahead of us, and the extreme measures they have taken, I worry that I'm not.

Right now, however, it IS a very difficult decision to make.

@Lweji
See my 22:26 post.

It was a cross post.

In fairness the irony in you ‘don’t bring your germ ridden bodies to my country’ the irony was not obvious.

Well... I'm not going to Thailand, I am going somewhere where there has been TWO cases in a population of 210million and I think guilting people not to travel by saying 'team society or team virus' is very wrong.

This is an interesting article from the Spectator about mass hysteria.