Can't decide whether to cancel trip to New York or not. Help us decide?

[Apolloanddaphne]

DH and I have a trip to NY booked, flying out on Monday. We are not the worrying sorts but my DH is keen to cancel. He really has his eye on the ball with the CV issues as he is in charge of the current plans re the virus for the large international company he works for and he believes things in NY will get worse soon as he has been talking with staff there. He fears having to self isolate at any point. His work are already under massive pressure and I know they are already going to struggle without him for a week while he goes on holiday.

We can cancel our accommodation with no penalty and get a refund on our flights (we were using airmails to travel). Our trip to the the UN has already been cancelled due to CV concerns and refunded by them. We have tickets for a gig and a show. If they are not cancelled by them we would lose that money and they were very expensive.

Do you think it would be prudent to pull out now? Wait a few days and see what happens in NY? Go anyway? DH wants to discuss our plans this evening and I want to have my thoughts straight.

I’d cancel. It’s spreading quickly in NY, and planes are especially dangerous.

They've got cluster cases so it's spreading fast. I would cancel.

What happens if you have to self isolate while there or flights are affected?

Planes are not especially dangerous but I wouldn't go, especially as you can cancel without losing lots of money.

I would cancel if you can get your travel costs refunded. If you're going to be constantly stressing about being ill/stuck it's not a holiday is it?

Can you sell the tickets? Even if you sell at a reduced cost it's better than nothing.

In a similar boat. Think we're likely to cancel.

Gig and show might get cancelled and refunded too if it’s that bad so in your position I would cancel.

We are meant to go mid April and will get nothing back unless official advice changes so we stand to lose a lot of money.

I would cancel. My teen was due to go to NY in a few weeks with her school. We've told her that it's too unsafe to go.

But it's spreading through the UK anyway? I am a fretter, but I'd still go.

Definitely cancel!

Cancel, most certainly.

I'm due to fly out next week with my DD. Although I could cancel the hotel at this point, I'd lose my flights if I cancelled now as they're non-changeable/non-refundable. I've saved up for a couple of years for this treat for her significant birthday, so for now we're still going.

Thank you for your responses.all very helpful.

@bobstersmum I know it is spreading in the UK but at least if I have to self isolate here I am at home. If we need to self isolate whilst away and are unable to get home I cannot imagine how awful that would be. I think this is our biggest fear. I know there is a cluster about 20 miles away from Manhattan and I don't trust the administration in the US to act sensibly.

I would cancel. You don't want to get stuck in NYC.

Sorry. I would cancel. Things are just too uncertain even with airlines and things. I'd worry about the cost of treatment over there if you do need to be tested and treated.

If you can cancel without losing money I would

Cancel. The worst that can then happen is that you've lost a bit of disposable income on the entertainment tickets. If you go and your DHs prediction is right, not only could you be stuck in a really difficult position, but it might also impact on others in his company if he's not there to do his job for several weeks.

We would lose the show and gig money. We were going to see Billy Joel at Maddison square gardens and Hamilton on broadway. These tickets were not cheap!

They did lock down some areas.
I wouldn't go because of the cost of healthcare and worry with insurance paying.
I know someone there and their teacher has it.
However the number of cases here if not correct and expected to peak in 2w so we all must already be infected

@Apolloanddaphne that's a sunk cost dilemma. Think of the cost to you - financially and otherwise- if you have to stay in NYC.

DH is definitely worried about the impact on his work. He has spent weeks putting together plans to keep the entire workforce all over the globe safe and feels he would be daft to put himself in a risky position just for a holiday. We can stand to lose the money with minimal impact.

Yes that's true op. You would think the decision should be made for you by the powers that be, I mean why are countries still letting people in and out?

I would cancel. It's spreading in NY.

Oh my gosh I was cancel until I saw that you were supposed to see Billy Joel at MSG . I think you do have to cancel but maybe stock up on red wine and recreate Scenes from an Italian Restaurant at home.

It's such a hard decision to make isn't it? Particularly because information is so patchy and we're not being encouraged to cancel things, we all stand to lose money, etc. We're supposed to be going to Israel on 2nd April and there is no guidance, no information about whether we can even go, whether Israel will allow us entry, etc. If I could cancel right now, I would, so in your position I probably would OP. Like you, the things we stand to lose money on are pre-paid excursions. I suspect we could change our flights for later in the year and ditto the accommodation.