Coronavirus in Italy (merged threads)
 

My husband and I have plans to travel on business/pleasure to Northern Italy this week. Milan-Verona-Vicenza-Venice-Florence-Parma-Milan all by train. With this recent development of the Coronavirus we are leaning towards not going. Is anyone currently traveling in these areas and what insight can you give us as to what is happening. Thank you and stay well.

I would probably cancel, not for fear of getting the virus, but because much of the area is quarantined, and that area could expand.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51602007

Thank you for your response and helpful article. Definitely leaning towards canceling ☹️.

Thank you and thanks for that informative article.

Personally, I'd probably go, until the point they stopped transportation between the cities you mentioned, and maybe adjust the trip further south.

But, I would only be coming from London, so it would be less traumatic for me.

Can you cancel easily and get your money back?

The towns that are in 'lock-down' appear to be fairly small. On the other hand, Armani has canceled his show in Milan and Venice has cancelled its Carnival. The information is so confusing!


It is an awful dilemma and you have my sympathies

Our trip to Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy is in late April. My thought is to wait but this is very bad news. Best of luck in what you decide and please let us know.

First of all thank you for asking the question. I have the same concern even though our trip starts out in Rome and only goes as far north as Florence.

We are due to leave in 8 days. My greatest concern is that the quarantine restrictions could spread unexpectedly and we wind up being stuck there for an undetermined amount of time. Right now I think I'd enjoy the trip more if it were postponed until later in the year when, hopefully, there is a better handle on the situation. I just got off the phone with Delta and they are willing to waive the change fees on our nonrefundable airline tickets. I would still lose on museum tickets already acquired and travel insurance purchased mostly for medical coverage though but that's a cost I think I'm willing to incur. I'll make my final decision in the next 24 hours or so.
Good Luck with your decision.

Your costs for cancellation seem minimal, I would cancel myself but it's your call.

I don't think the information is confusing, there is an outbreak, the biggest outside SE Asia, and it is affecting a lot of northern Italy, Lombardy region. So they are imposing a lot of emergency measures to try to stop its spread. There are 110 cases in N Italy and 26 of those are in the ICU. That isn't trivial to me, and I don't think it was trivial to all the people who have already died, including the original doctor whom I presume was not in some weakened immune state. What is interesting is this virus is more dangerous for adults than children it appears. There is a ban on public events in many localities already, plus closure of public buildings and limited transport. I wouldn't rely on anyone currently traveling in that area for info as first of all, this is global information available publicly on the internet, and secondly, what is happening right now is not any guarantee of what they may be doing a week from now, if the spread and number of cases gets worse. It's interesting they haven't identified patient zero yet.

They are closing all schools in Milan, for example, as well as some soccer games in that area, and the fashion show, of course. No, everybody in Milan isn't quarantined at home, but I don't consider those measures inconsequential. Several people have died already.

I guess I can't imagine deliberately going into the hotbed of a virus outbreak like that if there is minimal cost to cancelling. I wouldn't even care about a couple museum tickets.

We have decided to cancel. Alitalia said no decisions have been made to refund people but to check back in a few days. Will see what happens with hotels and tours. Sending my thoughts and prayers to the people of Italy. Just wasn’t meant to be at this time. Stay safe whatever your plans maybe.

When I purchased medical travel insurance for a recent trip, they told me that I could cancel it anytime before the trip started, as long as I had not boarded a plane or ship to begin the trip. The insurance kicks in at the beginning of the trip. You can’t purchase it last minute, then try to use it to recoup loss, or start the trip, then cancel, but since the insurance was only for the dates of the trip, if you cancel both before, then no need for the insurance because there is nothing to insure. Do check with your own insurance to see what their policy is.

I think it's wise to cancel your trip for just now, and possibly re-schedule for later in the year.

Tuscanlifedit, my friend and I agreed to give the situation a couple of weeks and then make a decision.

Ive already had pneumonia twice in my life. Last July most recently. That combined with traveling solo for 5 weeks is weighting heavily. I hope the steps the Italian government is taking will have a good result. I feel bad for he people dealing with this directly right now!

Sassafrass, I am looking right now to buy. What policy did you pick? USAA seems to have a good policy but I see many are inserting clauses quickly. The list was long with floods, earthquakes, fires and now this. I think the people that have had to extend and stay in quarantine must be seeing huge expenses. I have been following this guy who stayed on the boat but now has to spend two weeks in Japan before being allowed to fly to USA. Hotels, food, ticket home, lost of work and bills. No policy covers this.

I am about to just buy one that will transfer us to a decent hospital and trip interruption. Even the ones for any reason are inserting clauses now.

I love Italy and Italians and spend a lot of time chatting on line with Italians. Those I speak with are amazed by the competence and rapid action of the government on this issue.

However, I also know that even in northern Italy any quarantine imposed on a town may be imperfect due to "il sistema". Hence, if I was a betting man, the virus is more likely to get out than stay put.

If I am correct then the areas will grow.

So I'd postpone travel.

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The virus is already in much of Europe. If you take the one English tourist that infected three countries all by himself the odds are it spread long ago.

Part of the reason the count is rising in Italy is they're almost testing everyone and their dog. A part of the people currently testing positive aren't even showing any symptoms. But for one reason or another they have been tested.

<<The towns that are in 'lock-down' appear to be fairly small. On the other hand, Armani has canceled his show in Milan and Venice has cancelled its Carnival. The information is so confusing!>>

I had an email yesterday from a language school I attended in Bologna last year to say that all the state schools in Bologna are closed; as it doesn't apply to them they were going to open, but if anyone wanted to cancel they would give a full refund. Also friends who flew from Venice to Catania had their temperatures taken as they got off the plane but there were no problems. Good for the italians for taking it seriously.

Here's hoping bvlenci will chime in with updates for those of us planning a trip to Italy in the next couple of weeks.

Sassafras’s, which medical insurance policy did you purchase ?

I have a pre-existing medical condition so even getting any travel insurance is proving difficult and most require purchase 10/21 days from your first trip purchase in my case, it’s airline tickets and I also missed out on the cancel for any reason insurance for the same reason. Never having purchasing travel insurance I was clueless about such time frames.

I am I only interested in being covered for plane tickets and the cost of a tour and will admit the only possibility for cancelling is if the Coronavirus gets much worse. There is a small possibility thatI could have a relapse n cancer treatment but at present feeling great and in remission.

My daughter and two grandsons will be traveling with me.

The most recent death dealt with a patient in Como, who had a weakened immune system due to health issues.

Switzerland’s bracing itself as the virus spreads. I’m personally less worried about catching it than passing it on to those whose bodies aren’t healthy enough to fight the virus successfully.

This corona outbreak in Italy is very real and the government is taking all the measures in its attempt to secure the area so that idoes not spread further and so far 7 persons have died. So please be safe and postpone your travel till the situation gets normalized.