Contemplating travel right now is confusing. Here is advice from experts on how to navigate the changing landscape. As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, the questions of whether to travel and where it’s safe to go have become increasingly complicated. The State Department has issued a global Level 3 health advisory telling U.
S. citizens to “reconsider travel” to all countries because of the global effects of the coronavirus. This is the department’s second-highest advisory. A Level 4 advisory, which has not yet been issued, would mean “do not travel.
” On Saturday, President Trump extended the shut down on most travel from Europe to the United States to include the United Kingdom and Ireland, effective Monday at 11:59 p. m. Experts say you need to stay informed. Here is their advice on some of the most pressing questions facing people who might be considering traveling.
[Do you have questions about the coronavirus and travel? Email us at travel@nytimes. com. ] On the same day that the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, President Trump announced he was suspending travel from Europe to the United States, beginning on March 13.
On Saturday, the administration extended the ban to include those traveling from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The latest restrictions go into place on Monday at 11:59 p. m. Eastern time.
The ban applies to foreigners who have been in the 26 countries that make up the European Union’s Schengen Area, as well as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last two weeks. For a complete list of the 26 countries, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website. Initially, Mr. Trump had said the ban would be in place for 30 days, but later the White House said the restrictions will remain in place “until terminated by the President.
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” Yes. There’s been some confusion following President Trump’s announcement that he would restrict the entrance of travelers from Europe to the United States, beginning on March 13. Some Americans in Europe scrambled to get home after learning about the impending deadline. But the ban does not apply to American citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States, according to Mr.
Trump’s proclamation. The travel restrictions also generally exclude the immediate families (spouses, parents and siblings) of American citizens and permanent legal residents. However, those travelers might be directed to certain airports for enhanced screening. Members of the U.
S. Armed Forces, including their spouses and children, are also exempted from the ban, the proclamation stated. The State Department’s global Level 3 health advisory tells United States citizens to “reconsider travel” to all countries because of the worldwide effects of the coronavirus. This is the department’s second-highest advisory.
A Level 4 advisory means “do not travel. ” Many areas around the world with confirmed cases of coronavirus are taking measures like quarantines and border restrictions to limit the mobility of travelers, according to the Level 3 advisory. The State Department added that travel may be restricted “without notice” even in areas across the globe where no cases of Covid-19 have been reported thus far. Choosing to travel is still up to you, experts said.
But the advisory should not be taken lightly. “This is a more stringent recommendation concerning travel, and although it’s not prohibiting travel, it’s certainly suggesting that you should not take a trip abroad,” said Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, an adjunct professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Cornell University Public Health. If you must travel, Dr.
Weisfuse said, you should take strict safety precautions to protect yourself against the virus, like avoiding large crowds and regularly washing your hands. Get an informed guide to the global outbreak with our daily coronavirus
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“You are increasing your risk of exposure by traveling, especially if it is by bus, train or plane,” Dr. Weisfuse said.
“My overall opinion is to not travel abroad,” he added. “If it were me, I wouldn’t travel abroad. ” Dr. Danielle Ompad, an infectious disease epidemiologist and associate professor at New York University School of Global Public Health, said you should consider the consequences that choosing to travel during the outbreak could have for your community.
“It’s not about me,” Dr. Ompad said. “It’s about keeping other people safe and reducing the risk of transmission. ” You could also face the risk of being put in quarantine at a border or at a facility once you return home.
Your employer may also ask you to stay home if you have recently traveled, Dr. Ompad said. “You need to think carefully about whether or not that fits with your life,” said Dr. Ompad, who recently canceled two trips because of the outbreak.
“It really is this kind of internal calculation that people have to make. ” On Thursday, President Trump said that he could restrict domestic travel to regions of the United States in addition to the ban on most travel from Europe. When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was considering restricting travel inside the country to hard-hit states like Washington or California, Mr. Trump said the subject had not yet been discussed.
But, he added: “Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot. ” Some hard hit states have declared a state of emergency or a public health emergency, including Washington, California, New York and Florida. As a practical matter, a state of emergency or a public health emergency do not affect travel — flights are not canceled and the C.
D. C. does not issue any travel restrictions. States of emergency are used by local and state governments to help them shift funding, as well as to have the authority to close schools and other facilities.
Those additional powers also mean that travel could be restricted, if the state or local government thought it necessary, said Jessica Justman, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “That flexibility that the government then gains might allow the government to lay out certain policies and those policies in turn could easily affect what an individual can do or not do. ” Even though domestic travel has not been restricted, Dr. Weisfuse said the most responsible thing is to avoid it.
“It looks like coronavirus is spreading through the United States and the safest place to be is probably at home, taking precautions,” she said. Dr. Justman said there were two things to think about: “Who you are and who is in your network. ” If you spend a lot of time around older people or someone who has a chronic illness — sections of the population at a higher risk of the coronavirus — traveling domestically would pose a risk to them.
But for younger people who are not around those two groups of people, she said: “It’s going to be easier for them to decide to go and visit other cities. ” The issue is not whether you fly or drive, said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Global Health Committee, but why you are going at all. The whole idea of avoiding nonessential travel and promoting social distancing is to stay close to home to prevent the outbreak from spreading.
Though, admittedly, in a car you would be less exposed to the virus than you might be on a plane, the same is not true when you get out of the car. “It’s about what you’re going to do when you get there,” Dr. Kuppalli said.
“Once you got to your destination, you would likely still be having contact with other people, she added.”
It depends. Typically, you would have to at least pay a cancellation fee or booking penalty if you did not buy a fully refundable ticket, which is usually more expensive. But the coronavirus has hit airlines hard, and many, including Delta, United and American, are loosening their booking policies and suspending cancellation or rescheduling fees. “At the moment, the airlines are being very helpful,” said Jonathan Breeze, chief executive of AardvarkCompare Travel Insurance, a travel insurance company.
“These are not normal circumstances and the airlines are seeing that people are not booking flights, so airlines are offering commercial flexibility. ” “Obviously, the 800 numbers are overwhelmed,” said Michael Holtz, the founder and chief executive of SmartFlyer, a luxury travel agency. “Because of the coronavirus and the news, things have just spiraled out of control and a lot of people have questions. ” On Tuesday, many of the major airlines in the United States informed travelers that they could expect longer wait times to speak to a customer service agent.
“We are receiving more calls than we typically do and your hold time may be longer than usual,” a United recorded message said. The wait time was 90 minutes. Other airlines like Delta redirected callers to their websites and their apps, where they could find more information about rescheduling or canceling flights, a recorded message instructed. American had the option to leave your contact information for an agent to call you back in the next two hours, the longest you could hold your place in line.
Mr. Holtz said the airlines’ websites and apps are travelers’ fastest ways to answer their questions or change their travel plans. “My advice is to use technology,” Mr. Holtz said.
If travelers have the good fortune of having a travel agent, they should contact the agent as soon as possible, as many have direct connections with airlines, he added. Shashank Nigam, the chief executive of Simpliflying, an airline marketing strategy firm, said social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are your best option during these times. “Most airline social customer service staff can help cancel or reschedule flights, or answer any questions about waivers,” Mr. Nigam said.
Insurance companies have very specific circumstances under which they pay out if you decide to cancel or interrupt your trip. Choosing not to travel because you are concerned about getting infected with the coronavirus is not one of them, nor is a government advisory, said John Cook, president and chief executive of Quotewright. com, a travel insurance company. “Those covered reasons are very specific and they do not include being fearful of being exposed to a virus and the government telling you not to travel,” Mr.
Cook said. The answer has been to buy what is called cancel-for-any-reason coverage, which costs more, but usually lets you recoup about 75 percent of your money, Mr. Cook said. But that option may be disappearing.
Jason Schreier, the chief executive of APRIL Travel Protection, a travel insurance company with yearly sales of more than $1. 1 billion, said that his company’s sales of cancel-for-any-reason insurance had jumped 275 percent since the outbreak began. As of last week, APRIL stopped selling the upgraded policies, after its under-writers required the company to pull them from the market, saying that it was not meant to cover such a concentrated risk among travelers. “We’ve never seen a spike in the any-reason purchases like we’re seeing now,” Mr.
Schreier said. “It’s an unprecedented spike, which caused an unprecedented reaction. ” Other companies, like Generali and RoamRight, have also stopped letting purchasers upgrade to a cancel for any reason policy, according to letters they sent to insurance agents. But others, including Allianz Global Assistance, are going in the opposite direction and extending their coverage.
Epidemics are usually not included in travel insurance coverage, but Allianz has said that for a limited time it will accommodate claims for trip cancellation and emergency medical care for travelers who become ill with the coronavirus. Those who cancel their trips to China, South Korea and the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy would also be covered, said Daniel Durazo, director of marketing and communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. Possibly. If you travel to a city that does not have a large number of confirmed cases — or perhaps no cases at all — but the number of confirmed cases rapidly increases during your stay, it could affect what happens when you return home, said Dr.
Scott Weisenberg, an infectious disease doctor at New York University School of Medicine, and director of the university’s Travel Medicine Program. “You might be restricted on your re-entry,” Dr. Weisenberg said, adding that you could be asked to quarantine yourself at home, or be placed in a special facility. Even if you are not quarantined by health officials, some companies are requiring employees who have been traveling to work remotely, he added.
And things are changing rapidly. “Those answers may vary depending on ongoing public health changes,” Dr. Weisenberg said. “Once we have widespread testing available, then it will be easier for travelers to have a better idea of what the risk is in different areas.
” On Friday, Airbnb updated its “extenuating circumstances” policy, making it easier to get a refund in some countries. If you have a reservation in the United States, mainland China, South Korea or Italy, and you wish to cancel it, you can do so free of charge for bookings generally through the beginning of April. In the United States, if you have a reservation and you choose to cancel it, the company will fully refund you (including any fees) if you booked on or before March 13, with a check-in date of April 1, or earlier. (Check Airbnb’s website for the policy for mainland China, South Korea and Italy.
) You will also get a full refund if you are traveling from the United States and have a reservation in Europe’s Schengen Area. (The policy applies to reservations that have been made on or before March 11, for travel between March 13 and April 13. ) If you are a guest in any other country and you cancel, the company will fully refund your booking if you meet the following criteria: If you cannot complete your trip because of official travel restrictions, medical or disease control duties related to the coronavirus; if your flight or ground transportation is canceled by your carrier because of Covid-19 — or a suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19; or if you are complying with disease control restrictions implemented by relevant governmental or health authorities. Additionally, in an effort to calm other guests’ travel anxieties, the company recently announced that, through June 1, guests who choose to cancel a home or an apartment booking — and who do not meet the circumstances and time frames already mentioned — will get a refund of Airbnb’s guest fee, which can be up to 14.
2 percent of the total cost, excluding taxes. (The refund is a coupon that you can use during your next stay. ) For any other cancellations, how much money you get back will depend on your host’s cancellation policy (flexible, moderate or strict) advertised in the property listing. (For more details on cancellation policies, visit the Airbnb page.
) A growing number of states have declared a state of emergency or a public health emergency, including Washington, California, New York and Florida. As a practical matter, that does not affect travel — flights are not canceled and the C. D. C.
has not issued any travel restrictions. States of emergency are used by local and state governments to help them shift funding, as well as to have the authority to close schools and other facilities. “State of emergency or not, the same measures should be taken everywhere in the United States,” said Anne W. Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at U.
C. L. A. Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health and director of the Center for Global and Immigrant Health.
The key to slowing down the virus is to avoid crowds, which means avoiding travel unless it is absolutely necessary, Dr. Rimoin said. “For those who do choose to travel, think about what it would be like to get sick without your support network, away from home,” she added. “The disease is not as mild as everyone wants to believe.
” There could be other consequences, however. Your employer, for example, might decide that you have to self-quarantine once you have returned to your home state. Check and see what policies are in place before you travel. As of right now, Dr.
Weisenberg of NYU cautioned travelers who might be tempted by a cheap airfare to put a lot of thought into whether they should book. Their safest option is to limit travel until the world has a better understanding of the virus, he said. “Think it through, don’t go on a whim,” he said. Emily Palmer contributed reporting from New York Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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