Spread the love

Issue 69: Friday, 28 February 2020

Ian McIntosh's

Pandemic phase “on the way”

Mr Morrison told reporters there is “every indication the world will soon enter the pandemic phase of the virus”. “In the last 24 hours … the data regarding the rate of transmission of the virus outside of China is fundamentally changing the way we need to now look at how this issue is being managed here in Australia,” he said.

What can you expect?

So how will the plan affect you as a traveller? Expect extra controls at airports and ports and  further quarantine measures. Australia’s travel ban on people coming from China will also be extended for another week. The decision to implement the emergency response came after the government received new data showing the rate of cases being confirmed outside China was growing faster than those inside.

New cases discovered every day

New cases of the coronavirus are discovered every day. In London this morning a worker at Canary Wharf was suspected and all 300 staff members were immediately sent home. This morning Israel’s Interior Minister Aryeh Deri expressed his intention to sign an official document barring Italian travellers from entering Israel.

Ports are barring cruise ships

The question is could this happen to you in the coming months?  We went on a South Pacific cruise out of Sydney last month and our ship was barred from two ports. It is not hard to imagine that more are going to close as the virus continues to spread. Flights are increasingly going to be cancelled. Already around half of the Cathay fleet is already in limbo. You could arrive home only to be quarantined for weeks in say Darwin.

Cost of cancellation

So how much is it going to cost to cancel – and will it be covered by insurance? We were travelling to London in October and taking a cruise from Israel to Turkey. I will try to change the cruise to a similar itinerary departing in June 2022 – but there is a fair chance we will lose 30% of the deposit paid. Our flights were with Emirates and Easyjet. We will lose $600 on the Emirates deal and $700 thanks to the fact that the Easyjet tickets were pre paid.

Will insurance cover your losses?

Can you claim for losses when you make the decision not to travel because of the health risk? According to market leader Cover-More: “We will not pay for claims caused by or arising from an Epidemic, Pandemic or outbreak of an infectious disease or any derivative or mutation of such viruses, or the threat or perceived threat of any of these.”

There may be exceptions

There may be a few glimmers of hope. From Cover-More again: “If you have purchased the Cancel-For-Any-Reason option (available on some of our products) and wish to cancel your trip, you can claim the non-refundable portion of the prepaid travel costs according to the terms and conditions of the policy. If you have travel insurance with Cover-More via your credit or debit card, this event is excluded and there is no cover.

Medical expenses due to the virus

What about if you are overseas and need medical attention due to the virus?  Again from the Cover-More website: “It is a condition of our policies that you are not aware of any circumstance which is likely to give rise to a claim. If you incur medical expenses with associated additional expenses as a result of contracting coronavirus, there may be cover up to the benefit limit. Our Claims Team will consider DFAT travel advices in place at the time you purchased your policy and where you chose to travel.” Good luck there!

Speak to your travel agent

Remember I am quoting from the Cover-More web site – but obviously there are a number of insurers and each will have a policy that might differ from what you have read so far. Thing is you really need specialist advice if you decide to travel overseas – and the ideal person to talk to is a professional travel agent. They can advise you on the best cover after evaluating your plans.

But don’t miss Chinatown and the footy

Finally, as the PM points out, you don’t have to stop going out for a Chinese meal or be worried about mass gatherings like football games. “You can do all of these things because Australia has acted quickly, Australia has gone ahead of this at this point in time,” he said. All the experts seem to agree on one major point only – wash your hands often with soap and water often and try not to touch your mouth, eyes or nose. It seems that masks are of little use – one expert said it could make matters worse