Postponed Paris May Trip for September

You do realize the Tour has been rescheduled to start 29 August - I hope you have your hotels in France locked up for the first 3 weeks of September...

Have a great trip!!!

We are all in a state of wait and see what happens as we emerge from the lockdown. Hokkaido in Japan was clear of infections, reopened and then had to lockdown again after 18 days when infections flared up again.

I think it’s 50/50 at best if these sporting events in France take place this year. Another post here has given details from Germany, where all sporting events are banned until the end of August. Germany has had far fewer infections and deaths than France.

As and when airspace reopens, there is likely to be a 14 day quarantine period for those arriving.

I hope you have good medical insurance cover if you are travelling this year or have very deep pockets. My insurers aren’t covering Coronavirus related issues going forward. Many healthy people with no underlying issues have died as their immune systems couldn’t repel it, so don’t assume that you could cope.

not for fear of my own life. The best defense is your own immune system

It's not about you taking risks - it's unknowingly transmitting the virus to others who will die. Start from the premise that you are an asymptomatic carrier and behave accordingly.

By French Open I meant Roland Garros. It’s no way to live if I assume I’m a carrier. We’ve been doing this long. 5 more months till September would make it 7 months total of restrictions. Like I said I’m comfortable with the risk. If people want to barricade themselves inside for 7 months They can do so. But why force others who are willingly to acknowledge the risk to do the same for so long.

But why force others who are willingly to acknowledge the risk to do
the same for so long.

Thing is, if you gamble with the virus and lose, you are far from the only one affected. You would be assuming that risk for everyone in the hospitality/transport industry who would have come into close contact with you. Most importantly, you would be assuming the risk for every overwhelmed health-care worker that would come into contact with you + possibly taking up bed space and equipment which are in desperately limited supply. It's bad enough to get really sick with this thing close to home; France (+ other European countries) does not want you taking up critical space/medical staff needed for their own citizens.

Like I said I’m comfortable with the risk.

Again, this is not just about you. YOU may be OK with YOUR life being expendable but many others feel differently for themselves, their friends and families. It's similar to why there are laws against downing a bottle of vodka and getting behind the wheel: endangerment not just of yourself but of others as well.

Anyway, France doesn't need or want you there until they are good and ready to welcome visitors again. Without meaning to be unkind, I'm frankly not sure why we're even having this conversation?

This is only delaying the inevitable life is never going to return to “normal” why keep up the charade for 6 months? When it could be 6 years and the risk will still be there.

Mexitokyo, the risk won't be here in 6 years because we will have a vaccine by then. Even though there is always a risk, the risk won't be as great as it is now when we have a vaccine. And we will have medications for treatment by then. And we will know a lot more about this virus. I don't mean to be unkind, either, but your logic/statement doesn't make sense.

why keep up?
For your elders or anyone with an underlying disease. But you know that.

Interesting NY Times article - Which should have been titled "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/science/new-york-coronavirus-cases-europe-genomes.html

In particular: "They cannot say on what particular flight a particular virus arrived in New York. But they write that the viruses reveal “a period of untracked global transmission between late January to mid-February.”...and... "The first positive test result in New York came on March 1, and after a couple of weeks, patients surged into the city’s hospitals"...."some New York viruses [share] unique mutations not found elsewhere. “That’s when you know you’ve had a silent transmission for a while,” she said"..... and "two studies hint that the coronavirus has been moving from coast to coast for several weeks."

So personal risk is real to yourself and to many, many others.... And you won't know it until later ... 5-6 weeks later in NYC's case.

@Mexitokyo - thanks so much for posting this. I checked the French open website and it has been rescheduled Sept 20 - Oct 4th. Oct 4th is when we are flying from England to Paris and staying for 4 days. I'm sooooo glad I already booked & paid a deposit for my hotel on the 4th. I think hotel rooms will probably be at a premium.

A few things to keep in mind that are in general agreement by health experts in order to safely lift shelter and travel restrictions. None of these have anything to do with personal decisions about risk.

The current outbreak hot spots have to get the hospitalizations down to manageable levels. The concern has always been both deaths from the virus, but also overwhelming healthcare resources. Hospitals filled with those sick from COVID-19 cannot effectively treat heart attacks, injuries and cancers. Almost all non-emergency procedures have been halted.

There needs to be widespread testing with quick results. This allows health authorities to identify those that get sick and trace their contacts so that mini-outbreaks can be identified and contained. We seem to be weeks away from that in the US, at best.

There needs to be widespread anti-body testing to identify those that have been exposed, based on the theory that they will not get sick again. This allows people with the anti-bodies to go about a more normal daily life without concerns that they will spread the virus. We are nowhere near that in the US.

And even with the above, until there is a vaccine, the threat of widespread outbreaks remains serious, especially if people travel. It is becoming increasingly clear that mass events like sporting, concerts, festivals and conferences will not resume until there is a vaccine.

Once a vaccine is available, it has to be produced and issued to the critical mass of the population. Given the testing issues in the US, there is reason to be concerned that this will not be a quick process either.

Because different nations and states (within the US) had different timelines of outbreaks and restrictions, the lifting will also be staggered. Countries might lift domestic restrictions but not international. Some states might lift restrictions soon; others not for weeks. And any new outbreaks or spikes might bring down more restrictions.

It's also worth remembering that there so so much about this virus that we don't know yet - including things that are critical to the proposed, still-evolving strategies for how/when to ease restrictions. Some of the most critical open questions are around testing for antibodies, and what exactly test results mean.

If you have antibodies, does that mean you are "protected" from getting (and spreading) the virus? That's not clear yet. There have been troubling cases where people who had the virus, got over it, and had the antibodies, then got sick a second time just a short while later. Maybe antibodies provide some protection but not a 100% protection. Maybe it varies a lot from one individual to another. Maybe you are only protected for a short time and then become vulnerable over time (and how quickly?). Maybe there's some other factor. There are a lot of unknowns. Until we learn a lot more about the virus, it's all guessing and it's going to be very hard to make smart choices.

I hope that your plan works out well for you in September. It is hard and disappointing to cancel trips, but sometimes as you discovered it must be done.

There is a lot involved with dealing with travel and dealing with the virus as you can see by the strong responses you received. I wish the very best for you.

I’m really torn. I understand the argument you can’t go any place because you might be a carrier. But I also understand the argument have at some point we are going to have to go back to living. I don’t know what the answer is and I don’t know what’s right. But I found it amazing the other people apparently do and will be glad to tell you.

I seriously considered a trip this fall. The reason I have currently decided against has more to do with being afraid the infrastructure won’t be open tham any concern about my health or my risk of infecting anyone else. I don’t even mind having to wear a mask if I have to do that. I’ve got about three on order and hopefully I’ll find one I really like

But on the other hand I remember being one of the first people traveling after September 11. And it was wonderful. Because there weren’t any other tourist. So it might actually be safer this fall because IYou won’t be in huge crowds shoving their way to the Mona Lisa selfie

.I think most people telling you what you should or should not do are basically saying what they feel like they should or should do. I really doubtpeople posting on this forum are the people currently handling the coronavirus response for any country in the world

Here is some sort of mixed news on the subject of when tourism might start up again
https://www.google.com/amp/s/mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSL5N2CB3YG

It will be wild in France if the Tour happens as scheduled. There is a lot of pent-up enthusiasm for sports in general, particularly the granddaddy of all cycling events.

For any trip prepare for a 14-day quarantine if the virus flares up again.

... wild in France if the Tour happens....

Let's hope that history doesn't repeat itself: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/flu-epidemic-hits-philadelphia

Philadelphia was the hardest-hit city in the United States. After the
Liberty Loan parade (celebrations to promote government bonds that
helped pay for the Allied cause in Europe) on September 28, thousands
of people became infected.

This type of post has been in the RS forum for about a month. Should I stay or should I go? The Clash also had this problem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM

I understand both sides of the debate so I won't add my personal opinion. Eventually, the data will tell all.

Yesterday they announced that the start of the French Open has been delayed another week, to September 27.

I've been following David Katz and he makes a lot of sense. Just heard the USTA will announce in June whether or not to have the US Open in NYC this August. Makes me worried, If they are going to decide so soon I'm guessing they won't have it. But its better to know now then plan a trip that won't happen.

Carol, I love your post.

Carol makes a really valid point. I do hope we can all get back to travelling sooner rather than later.

Mexitokyo I hope you get to travel to Paris in September! FIngers crossed.