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Coronavirus and trip to Venice in March 2020

Trying to assess risk of traveling to Venice. Have been waiting more than two decades to go. Finally almost here and... First instinct was to just go, but this virus may be different. Contacted Travel Guard, but despite opting for their best coverage, worry over epidemic is not covered. Any thoughts anyone? I did read last night about another forum member also scheduled to depart second week in March.

Posted by
245 posts

The risk of contracting the disease is very small, but the risk of travel interruptions is a greater (shut transportation options, quarantine, etc).

Posted by
471 posts

My opinion is to go for it. If the virus really gets that bad, we're all screwed anyway. Keep an eye out for any State Department announcements and analyze the news. Is it bad? Is it petering out? Is it mutating? I'm glad there's been a strong government response. Some sources say cases are decreasing in China.

That also means to take what precautions you can. I bring a few cheap-o masks when I travel anyway...more to protect others if I'm sick. Wash your hands and bring some basic medical supplies. Not everybody gets hit hard. As a bonus, in a land of universal healthcare, if you do get sick, the bills will be a fraction of what they are here.

Last year, I traveled to Italy after waiting way too long to do so. I give thanks every day that I made that trip. Venice was my favorite city. The view will always be open.

Posted by
1936 posts

If you do get sick, there isn't free healthcare in the EU and your bills could be expensive if you don't have medical coverage as now most EU countries are charging non EU-patients at time of visit. Not to mention getting back home when you're sick, which having had a horrible flu virus while flying back from Europe was like hell for 8 hours.. Honestly, if you're young and healthy I'd go. However, if you are older and have heart/lung problems, I'd stay home. It's not so much that you'd get sick but being a carrier. for the virus. That's why people get flu shots. And do you really want to go to a place where it's shut down and people are on edge?

Personally, I'd wait until later in the year.

Posted by
1507 posts

Writing from Italy. It is too early to decide if this is a serious thing or a craze. Just wait a few days and then reassess the situation.

Posted by
15041 posts

Looks like most cultural events, museums, and other places of aggregation of large numbers of people have been closed/canceled in the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. If you plan to travel to Northern Italy soon, there isn’t much you can visit as a tourist. I see no enjoyment in visiting a ghost city.
I’m going at the end of June, but if it persists I may have to cancel and postpone.

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you everyone for your comments. We are in our 60s so need to take that into consideration. We'll keep reading and paying attention before we make a decision. We do have medical insurance as part of our travel policy, but of course imagined coverage for an accidental broken ankle or similar, not a viral outbreak. Will keep watching RS posts as well as the news.

Posted by
11507 posts

Heather “ as now most Europe countries are charging “

Health services have never been free for tourists in any Europeon country I’ve been too , lol

However even at full charge a visit to a hospital or doctor in Europe is going to eat cheaper than same visit in the USA .
We always get travel medical insurance / and the first question they ask here is “ USA or rest of the world “ as insurance to visit USA is more expensive than for Europe .

Posted by
996 posts

We were almost in your position, and because I love Italy I've been following this story and wondering what I'd do and how it will impact tourism.

At this point, it's really impossible to tell what will happen. Veneto is currently seeing cases if I've read the news stories correctly, but as someone else said above - I'd be more worried about travel interruptions than anything else at the moment. I'd also consider my travel funds. If I'm stuck in a particular city due to travel restrictions, can I afford this?

Check with your airline. They will be issuing travel waivers shortly if they're refusing to fly into an area. This may give you an out as least as far as airfare is concerned.

Me? If I had the tickets booked, I'd go anyway BUT I'd go with the expectation that I might need more cash on hand + my plans to see (whatever I wanted to see) might be delayed/interrupted/cancelled. Then again, I've visited Italy multiple times. My experience would not be the same as someone planning a first visit to the city.

Definitely check with Travel Guard on a daily basis. Their answer may change based on what's happening on the ground.

Posted by
58 posts

Hi debinwny,
We have a similar decision (with similar thought processes) but a month out still - our trip is starting March 25th, and we are going to Luxembourg and France. We have already decided we will not go, if things do not calm down, even though France appears better than Italy right now. If things continue on an upward trajectory and there are more and more cases in Europe, we will cancel at a significant loss, despite having travel insurance (for the same reasons you noted). So, in your position, I would wait till a week to a few days before, but with all likelihood that you probably will need to cancel. I just don't see any fun in going somewhere where things could be blocked, you could end up in quarantine because you went near or through an affected area. The chances of getting sick are really low, but you could get caught up in a situation. Things are changing so rapidly, and not for the better, that I can't imagine it would be a very relaxing trip. I for one, can get severe migraines (not often anymore, but sometimes need an IV with the migraine cocktail) and could need the use of an ER. What if there is a sudden cluster and I can't even get to an ER? What if I can't leave the city I am in? Do I bring extra meds with me? How long? A month just in case? It just doesn't sound enjoyable to have to wonder if you can avoid the risks of something that is getting close to being declared a pandemic.

Posted by
7 posts

Good point about extra funds in case our return is delayed. Thanks. What's so agonizing is having saved for the trip and wanting to go for so long. Will try to wait for last possible moment to pull the plug. It's a cautionary tale about going for the apartment rental. Our strategy was to stay put to savor Venice at our pace and according to our mobility, with possible day trips to nearby cities. I have not contacted Truly Venice yet; however, their cancellation policy is not generous. When we made the decision to go for the place with washing machine and kitchen, we envisioned possibly dealing with a first older age health event --fair enough -- but not Covid-19. That's life.

Posted by
58 posts

debinwny,
We have the same issue in France. We have two apartments for different legs of our journey, that we will get no money back. We actually could get about 25% of it back if we cancel by March 1st, but we feel it is worth it to ride this out till just before our March 25th departure, so we won't do that. We love staying in apartments and don't go any other way. I have wanted to see the Loire Valley for years. I went through a significant health event a little over two years ago and have had to work to get back to good health to be able to travel to France again. I have been practicing my French and so excited about going. It is a shame something like a pandemic is not covered under travel insurance. I was told that if I had gotten "cancel for any reason" we could have canceled, but next time I am sure there will be clauses for that too. We are able to change our airline tickets for $300 a person and may try to move them to a summer trip to Canada, if we are unable to go. It honestly makes me feel better that we are not the only ones who are having this issue. I have no desire to put myself at risk of barriers and problems on top of possibly getting sick with something 20 times as lethal as the flu. Let us know what you end up doing.

Posted by
5 posts

We are in the same situation. We are planned planned to start our Italian adventure for our honeymoon in Venice on March 26th, but with the uncertainty of everything as mentioned on this thread, we are not sure if it is worth it. Even if we are healthy the risk of getting stuck somewhere or places being closed does not seem like a fun honeymoon. We will loses some of our deposits. I just called United Airlines and although there is not a travel ban for Italy yet, it sounds like they are working with travelers on waiving change fees and helping you rebook a different flight. We are thinking about just rebooking this trip next year and doing our honeymoon in the United States.

Posted by
18 posts

Interesting thought on getting quarantined. We are scheduled later in April. My wife is a heart transplant recipient and would have some drug reserve, but not enough to get through a quarantine and that could spell trouble for her, if not the exposure to the virus itself. Our first trip to Europe- starting to unravel fast. We are getting used to it - Pearl Harbor-Congress closes all the National Parks, Vermont to visit the old bridges and the week we leave floodwaters are taking most of them out.....

Posted by
7 posts

I really appreciate all of your responses. It's of course still disappointing to not be going, barring a complete turnaround which is of course unrealistic, but it's no longer feeling as devastating. We've been waiting so long because of an injury 8 months into a new job/relocation 20 years ago, with longterm consequences. OK, it's not all over. Perhaps there will still be another chance later. Thanks all.

Posted by
14799 posts

Health services have never been free for tourists in any Europeon country I’ve been too , lol

They are in the UK for basic services like doctor's visits.

Posted by
7 posts

P.S. Brad, Jim and I are sorry you've had particularly bad luck with Pearl Harbor, Vermont, and now your first trip to Europe. We hope the tide will turn for you and your wife soon. We still remember from our last trip outside the US in '96 how wonderful it is to see new places and experience different cultures, different ways of doing things.

Posted by
18 posts

Debinwny, thank you for your kind thoughts, and I'm sorry you are in a similar situation. We too were getting excited as it grew nearer, and I think we will wait until the last minute before we pull the plug. For the most part ours is fully refundable, but I'm sure not reschedule-able within 2020.

Posted by
38 posts

We are Chinese American and have booked our ticket to UK ,Spain an Italy in April. The outbreak of the coronavirus is really now a concern to us. We hesitate whether to continue booking the hotels and other transportation tickets because we read horrible news from China, HK and TW everyday. It is not a normal flu, it can be passed very easily from person to person in really short period of time of contact , like chatting 2 mins without protection, eating at the same time with a carrier within 2 meters next tables etc. It is so contagious and hard to control because the carrier of virus has not any symptoms before they got really sick.
At this moment, We may cancel the trip though we may lose the tickets. Not worth the risk.

Posted by
279 posts

I live in Lombardy. The drastic measures to contain the virus here in the north of Italy (closure of schools and universities mainly) are currently in force until 1st March. By then the situation is going to be a lot worse or pretty much under control. Most cases have been linked to the same outbreak in an area near Lodi.
So I would delay any decisions about cancelling as long as possible to see what happens.
However, two other comments:
1. The 'ordinary' flu virus can be pretty nasty too, especially for those with existing health problems and is drastically more widespread....
2. Until last Thursday there had been no cases of Coronavirus in Northern Italy, now there are over 200 (of which about 100 at home with no symptoms) and there's an 'emergency'....things can change very very suddenly....

Conclusion, an awareness that unexpected things can happen, spare funds and spare medication are always useful when travelling

Posted by
3 posts

Where can one get up to date information on the spread of virus? We are senior couple booked for Italy with RSE in early April and are concerned, to say the least. From what I understand there are no refunds for tours within 60 days of departure.
Thank you all for information.
Andre

Posted by
1507 posts

Just two cents from Italy. As I wrote before, it is too early to make an informed opinion; the whole thing is so new that nobody can tell if it is a dangerous thing or a craze. But in Italy we are questioning why the country is so high in listed coronavirus cases. And there are two replies:

  1. Italy blocked all direct flights from China but people continued to come from China through connecting airports. This way, there is no way to really know who came from China in the last month; had the direct flights been continued, we could have list of names. But now it is too late to complain.

  2. Italy had a very early case of two Chinese tourists that fell extremely sick in Rome after visiting Milan, Parma and Florence, so this case triggered a lot of controls. As coronavirus symptoms are very light in 80% of cases and easily confused with ordinary flu, we are sure that listed cases are only the tip of the iceberg and most cases are unreported - provided the sick person realizes such a sickness. In Italy the tip was monitored and reported, it may be well the case that the virus is spread in much more places - only it is not monitored and reported as throughly as in Italy.

It may be not a case that most cases outside of China are reported in Italy, Japan and Korea - three countries with some of the best public health care systems in the world.

Posted by
3217 posts

Worst case - you can take a train headed north and visit Austria, Germany, Switzerland, etc. instead. Definitely have a Plan B.

Posted by
279 posts

Andre,
This link is kept updated
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries
If you're not going to get a refund cancelling now, wait to decide. So far, cases are limited and few. Wait to see how the situation evolves. Also bear in mind that as mentioned above there are 'suddenly' so many cases because testing is now rigorous. One does wonder if the lack of cases in other countries is because the cases don't exist or just haven't been looked for......

Posted by
391 posts

4 of us from Minnesota will be waiting and assessing.

If, by the time of our trip, the problem is still "up north", our group has the option for of canceling our hop to Venice (we'd be "out" $100 airfare each) and stay south. So we'd have to buy train fare to _____ (Florence - that may be too far north) and just stay "south" for more days than we planned.

Posted by
1507 posts

Trains between Austria and Italy were suspended only for a few hours. Two (German) women felt sick at Brenner and their train was stopped till they were checked.

Posted by
16024 posts

There are now cases in Palermo and Florence, as well as several countries bordering Italy or nearby (Switzerland, Austria, Croatia). I don't think it can be called "a craze".

We have canceled our March visit to Italy ( MIlan, Venice, and Matera). Fortunately all hotel and apartment reservations but one are refundable, and everyone has been very understanding. We have tickets for the Last Supper and the Venice clocktower that will go unused, as well as numerous train tickets. Trenitalia and Italo are offering refunds for pre-booked tickets through March 1, and that date may be extended if the virus continues to spread as it has. So we may get refunds there too.

But even if we don't get refunds, the financial loss is small. We are not so much afraid of becoming ill as of getting caught in a quarantine, or of unknowingly spreading the virus. Our decision was reinforced when I read that the province of Basilicata is asking people coming from the north (as we would have) to undergo 14 days of quarantine (apparently self-imposed).

This thing is spread by travelers, and we do not want to become part of the problem.

Posted by
18 posts

Trenitalia and Italo are offering refunds for pre-booked tickets
through March 1, and that date may be extended if the virus continues
to spread as it has. So we may get refunds there too.

Trenitalia are offering refunds for even the non-refundable pre-booked tickets?

Posted by
973 posts

I’m sorry to hear that, Lola. I’m glad the financial loss was minimal. Hopefully you can book another one soon.

Posted by
6171 posts

Trains between Austria and Italy were suspended only for a few hours.
Two (German) women felt sick at Brenner and their train was stopped
till they were checked.

True, thank you for the correction! It is not easy to keep up with the news regarding the virus…

Posted by
35 posts

I'm realizing how fascinating epidemiology is. @gw300, is there currently scientific evidence that eating while sitting 2 meters away from someone infected causes transmission?

Posted by
1 posts

21157 cases in Italy as of March 14, 2020 with 1441 dead. Anyone going to Italy or Europe or on a cruise for the next 6 months is nuts and should not be allowed back in the US until the whole thing is over. You need some common sense for yourself and the safety of your hometown. I am a doctor and I feel that personal responsibility is necessary to allow this until a vaccine and proper treatment comes out. The government is doing all they can. This is not the fault of a President or Governor or Congressperson. It came from poor hygiene in a part of the world that thinks selling you caged bats right next to your veggies is a good idea. Right now you need to do everything you can for yourselves, your neighbors and money should be your last concern.

Posted by
1059 posts

Well said RobfromWYN/NWPA. For your first post on the Forum, you hit a home run.

Posted by
4535 posts

Well said RobfromWYN/NWPA. For your first post on the Forum, you hit a
home run.

Actually, it was not. It bumped a thread that was several weeks old and in which those in mid-February still hoping to visit Italy had long since canceled. Flights and cruises in Italy, and more recently the Schengen zone, and very soon the UK, have already been restricted. No one is going to Italy or Europe at this time. It also attacked the people of Wuhan, who have suffered terribly, for doing something that is common throughout the world - fresh food markets. Including in Europe.

Posted by
149 posts

Wuhan is unlike most markets, rats, bats and cats alongside fresh vegetables. China is responsible for this and the rest of the world has to deal with it.

Our freedom to travel is not available now, we have to wait and stay home.

Posted by
1219 posts

Bit like the American Legion, Philadelphia, 1976, being responsible foe legionella bacterium, hey?

Posted by
4535 posts

Some people just have to BLAME someone. Viruses happen, all the time and all places from lots of different causes. This one is particularly transmittable and has a high mortality rate.

Posted by
7 posts

Feels like a lifetime ago already since I first reached out for opinions and advice. We canceled ages ago and are very happy to report that Truly Venice has rescheduled our stay. Now getting prepared for a long, bumpy ride and hoping our medical communities will be able to develop a vaccine sooner rather than later. We realize there will be no quick and easy fix. Seems pointless to blame anyone. Seems like a better idea to try to help each other make it through and hope there are good leadership and long memories on the other side of this thing.