We are currently booked to travel to Rome and Paris in late July…ugh! I purchased insurance for our flights booked through Expedia, but apparently Travel Guard sucks and will not payout if we decide not to fly “out of fear”. Even if the airline actually cancels our flights, we are apparently not covered. I am hoping maybe the airlines themselves would at least give us credit to fly another time (we are going out from California to Rome on Delta and flying home from Paris to California on AirFance).
Our hotel/VRBO can be canceled up to 2 weeks before we go, so I guess that’s the only thing in our favor.
We will be in wait and see mode, but if things are worse in July, then I just cannot see us going. The Louvre is closed today, the catacombs in Vatican city are closed, and it would suck to go and not be able to actually see anything even if we didn’t get sick or stuck in a quarantine.
This was our family’s first trip to Europe, so we are definitely bummed.
No, definitely virus related - but their protocols will be similar to preparations for a government shut down. So, what operations can be suspended, who can do what from home, etc. At least that’s what I understood. The NIH wasn’t affected in the last round of trump government shut down, but they were prepared in case they would have been.
FRANCE - 61 new cases today for 191 total cases. 1 new death for a total of 4. 3rd death was an 89-year-old woman who was declared positive for the virus after a post mortem examination.
For 75% of cases in France there was a clear chain of transmission that could be identified. Across France, 12 regions have reported cases, five of which have more than 10 infected people.
USA - Summary of 21 new cases and 4 new deaths in past 24 hours.
9 cases and 4 deaths in Washington State. Deaths include: a man in his 70s, in Kirkland, King County, with underlying health conditions. Cases include: a man in his 40s hospitalized in critical condition in Kirkland.
1 in Illinois: a woman in her 70s, wife of the third case. She is in good condition and quarantined at home.
1 in New Hampshire: an woman from Grafton County, Dartmouth employee, who had recently visited Italy.
1 former passenger of the Diamond Princess cruise ship
1 in Rhode Island, a teenager contact of the previous case. An additional contact is being tested. “All three people went on the same trip to Italy. This is precisely why we are being so aggressive in identifying contacts, ensuring monitoring, and testing people who are symptomatic.”
3 in California (Santa Clara County), including a couple who has recently traveled to Egypt.
2 in Oregon:
1 is an adult resident from Umatilla County hospitalized in Walla Walla, WA.
1 is a contact of the first case in Oregon, recovering at home.
Looks to be 4 today and the previous 2. I wonder how long they’ve had the virus/how quick it took them to die? Seems fast to use because the cases were just confirmed but who knows…
Sure, yes, I think most people get this. I’d prefer to not unknowingly spread my mild “flu” to my mom who is in the 21% mortality rate bracket. Or anyone else’s mom or dad. Or anyone with cancer. Or…
I’m not panicking but I’m concerned enough to pay attention to developments and change my behavior to protect others.
Are you sure about that? We, too, have a European vacation scheduled (for next month, no less!) and purchased the expedia Travel Guard insurance for the flights. I just checked the policy and it says 100% coverage for “trip cancellation” - which I take to mean the airline canceling the flight.
I would not panic over this. You have several months for things to play out.
California county confirms two new cases, bringing total to nine
"The County of Santa Clara Public Health department confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s total number of cases to nine. Both cases are adult men who appeared to have direct contact with previously confirmed cases and are under home isolation. "(CNBC)
CDC schedules media briefing, then cancels at last minute
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly postponed a media briefing that was originally scheduled at noon — at the last minute and without explanation. The agency was expected to discuss new cases in California and Washington state that were confirmed over the weekend, as well as the nation’s first two deaths outside of Seattle. “This call has been canceled and will be rescheduled, please disconnect from the call,” an operator announced to reporters on hold for the call.” (CNBC)
Guess they got busy with the new cases and deaths? Numbers quickly became dated.
FEMA is prepping for a possible emergency declaration
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning for the possibility that President Donald Trump could make an emergency declaration to bring in extra funds and personnel to assist the administration’s coronavirus response, NBC News reported. FEMA officials are prepping for an “infectious disease emergency declaration” by the president that would allow the agency to provide disaster relief funding to state and local governments, according to agency planning documents reviewed by NBC News. —NBC News
Amazon removed 1 million items for coronavirus-related price gouging
"Amazon says it has pulled more than 1 million products for price gouging or falsely advertising effectiveness against the coronavirus…third-party sellers must follow its Fair Pricing Policy, which states companies can’t set a price “significantly higher” then seen in other places or sell an item that “misleads customers.”
“We are disappointed that bad actors are attempting to artificially raise prices on basic need products during a global health crisis and, in line with our long-standing policy, have recently blocked or removed tens of thousands of offers,” an Amazon (AMZN) spokesperson told CNN Business. “We continue to actively monitor our store and remove offers that violate our policies.”" (CNN)
Most of Google’s 8,000 staff and contractors in Ireland have been told to work from home tomorrow after a member of staff reported flu-like symptoms
"While the worker is only vaguely suspected to have the virus, it is understood that the company decided to test having all staff work remotely in case the situation surrounding the coronavirus escalates.
A Google spokesperson said: We continue to take precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of our workforce, and as part of that effort we have asked our Dublin teams to work from home tomorrow." (RTE)
@DeeCee36 this is from TravelGuard’s FAQ page specifically about Coronavirus:
“If the flight to or from your destination is cancelled due to Coronavirus, there would be no coverage under the policy of insurance. However, we suggest you contact the airline to seek a refund.”
I know we still have time on our side, and I am hopeful we will be able to go. But don’t relish fighting with the airlines if needed.
I urge you all to read the CDC report on the 2018-19 flu season (most recent). It indicates that just over 9.2 million adults age 50-64 had a flu symptom, and of those 5675 died for a death rate of .06%. For those over 65, 3 million had symptoms, about 25k died, for a death rate of .8%. This virus is exponentially worse under any set of data.
My doctor never heard about it the year I had the flu. (This was before Tamiflu was available.) It’s hard to know how much to trust the denominator. Maybe both denominators are equally suspect/accurate, but maybe not.
“If the flight to or from your destination is cancelled due to Coronavirus, there would be no coverage under the policy of insurance. However, we suggest you contact the airline to seek a refund.”
If your flight is cancelled you will get a refund from the air carrier