Asia trips and coronavirus

[Schwob]

Possibly unrelated due to being a non diving trip that hopefully will be cancelled:

Still have a planned trip to China mid April, but hope flights will get cancelled (too far out for that to have happened yet, the airline green lighted no penalty rebooking at a later time so far). I hope so not necessatily because the death rate (which is quite higher than with influenza, but quite lower than with SARS), albeit it would be stupid to gamble with that unecessarily. I am of the opinion that if you travel in China and are amongst the people, you could not avoid infection no matter how many times a day you wash your hands. And travelling there to not be amongst the people, either by choice or by rules in place of course completely defeats the purpose. That's reason #1 to await flight cancellation or reschedule if necessary.

Reason #2: Yeah, who wants to be forcibly quarantined for 2 weeks after coming back...

Reason #3: If they did the quarantine thing right, you'd be 2 weeks quarantined prior to birding that plane leaving the place (imho), so that everyone on the plane is sure not to be infected, so that the plane does not become that incubator... potentially having to spend 14 hours on a plane with people all of which would be quarantined after arrival seems like asking to be infected.

Also would hate to arrive somewhere and then find out things changed and I be turned back because they decided to turn back everyone with my kind of passport, infected or not. Seems to me that at least if you have been infected and survived and are cured you ought to get a medical stamp of "immunity" of sorts... (not the case with me, just tginking) But infecteous disease control appears to be not only (often necessarily) a blunt instrument, but also one quite affected by fear mongering politics.

Update: UA green-lighted cancelling our mid April flights (& Return early May)@ full refund a few days ago and so we cancelled...

 

[Searcaigh]

I was planning to attend ADEX in April however they have postponed it until May.

EVENT NOTICE: Novel Coronavirus Update (Feb 20, 2020) | Asia Dive Expo

Fortunately I had not booked anything due to a possible work meeting that was going to impact my plans. I usually use Singapore as a jumping off point to go dive somewhere in Indonesia.

Diving in the Middle East might be a better option for me this year.

 

[HKGuns]

I flew back from India yesterday on Lufthansa. On the Frankfurt to USA leg, the folks in business class saw me performing my usual Clorox wipe cleaning of everything in the area of my seat. They asked if I was doing that for the corona virus, my answer was that I do it on every flight as an extra measure of safety. After this conversation, I was handing out wipes to most of the folks in the vicinity as they all asked for some to use on their seats etc.....

When we landed, the Chinese lady sitting across the aisle from me was met at the gate by DHS. Everyone had to wait while they escorted her off the plane. As it turns out, she had been in China 19 days ago and they interviewed and screened her for the virus.

I was hoping she was a spy, but I saw her in baggage claim while waiting for my luggage and she explained she was being screened because of her trip to China.

#NotConcerned

 

[chillyinCanada]

I flew back from India yesterday on Lufthansa. On the Frankfurt to USA leg, the folks in business class saw me performing my usual Clorox wipe cleaning of everything in the area of my seat. They asked if I was doing that for the corona virus, my answer was that I do it on every flight as an extra measure of safety. After this conversation, I was handing out wipes to most of the folks in the vicinity as they all asked for some to use on their seats etc.....

When we landed, the Chinese lady sitting across the aisle from me was met at the gate by DHS. Everyone had to wait while they escorted her off the plane. As it turns out, she had been in China 19 days ago and they interviewed and screened her for the virus.

I was hoping she was a spy, but I saw her in baggage claim while waiting for my luggage and she explained she was being screened because of her trip to China.

#NotConcerned

I do the same and most people are curious. When I explain, invariably, they will take a sheet and do the same for their area. I like to think that eventually everyone will be doing it automatically.

 

[Rickk]

It has been my practice as well fro the last couple of years, especially if there will be food service. On shorter trips with no food service I may not bother but a over ocean flight, I will clean a couple of times. As soon as I sit, before food service etc.

I just take a small spray bottle of alcohol and some tissues.

 

[Schwob]

It has been my practice as well fro the last couple of years, especially if there will be food service. On shorter trips with no food service I may not bother but a over ocean flight, I will clean a couple of times. As soon as I sit, before food service etc.

I just take a small spray bottle of alcohol and some tissues.

I am not really a “disinfecter“ myself. Yet that is. Contemplating.
I am curious about why you would not bother if there is no food service.

Food service or not, people’s hands have been exposed what they have been exposed to and touched what they touched and people still breathe, sneeze, “wet pronounce“ and cough opon what they can... Why the food service distinction?

 

[Searcaigh]

people’s hands have been exposed what they have been exposed to and touched what they touched

Like touch screens, poles on airport buses / trains, door handles etc., etc.

When I worked in labs if I caught anyone answering the phone or using a computer keyboard wearing gloves I would make them clean the phone / keyboard before anyone else touched it. They soon realised why.

Be safe everyone.

 

[Dani Pierone]

Interesting thoughts, thanks for sharing all! I have a trip to the Philippines planned this summer. So I’m hoping ticket prices from JFK to Manila are cheaper because of this whole coronavirus!

 

[Rickk]

I am not really a “disinfecter“ myself. Yet that is. Contemplating.
I am curious about why you would not bother if there is no food service.

Food service or not, people’s hands have been exposed what they have been exposed to and touched what they touched and people still breathe, sneeze, “wet pronounce“ and cough opon what they can... Why the food service distinction?

Because on a short flight I will most likely just sit there and not really touch anything except my phone to read or play a game.

 

[pclark2]

Early part of this thread talked about travel insurance. I have a trip planned to Raja Ampat at the end of next month, flying through Taipei on EVA Air and then Garuda. Currently we see no reason to change anything, but just in case anything changes it is probably best to have a backup plan. The eco resort is the part I'm most concerned by since it is the biggest expense and their cancellation policy basically if you cancel you don't get your money back, and no listed exception for something like this. I know DAN offers trip insurance, but not sure what the best options are. And I don't know if you can get them to cover just the hotel portion or if it has to be the whole trip.