Has the coronavirus got you rethinking your travel plans? We don’t blame you. Still, if you need to get away for a while then it is a good idea to learn all you need to know about the coronavirus.

December 2019

It was December 2019 in Wuhan, China when the world learned of people becoming infected with a new strain of the coronavirus . The new strain, called COVID-19 would also soon be known as 2019-nCoV, the coronavirus disease 2019, the novel coronavirus, and the Wuhan coronavirus.

Since the first incidence of infection, this new virus has spread beyond borders and across oceans. It has also drastically impacted international travel plans as entire cities have been put under quarantine and even borders have been closed.

General Terms

In general terms, coronaviruses concern a specific family of viruses. This family impacts birds, humans, and non-human mammals. Transmission occurs between species.

General Symptoms

The symptoms reportedly vary per species. Human beings typically develop some type of respiratory illness from a coronavirus.

Infamous Coronaviruses

If anything you have seen on the news or social media gives you the feeling of deja vu, you are not alone. Anyone who wasn’t born yesterday has already seen or heard about coronaviruses in the recent past. You may recall MERS (the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak) and the equally well-known SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome).

Both of these coronaviruses have had historically significant outbreaks in the past two decades. COVID-19 is a more recently discovered coronavirus. The first reported human infections were reported two months ago in Wuhan, China.

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The WHO

The World Health Organization (the WHO) officially designated the COVID-19 outbreak as “a global health emergency” on January 30, of this year.

Keep Yourself Current

The current global coronavirus situation is changing rapidly. If you choose to travel you should check with the CDC (Centers for Disease Prevention) and the previously-mentioned World Health Organization for the latest developments.

The Spread Of The COVID-19

COVID-19 is presently believed to have originated in the city of Wuhan in China. It has since gone on to infect people across the globe. Mainland China remains the epicenter of the virulent virus, with almost 77,000 confirmed cases as this goes to press.

Indeed, some sources suggest that Chinese officials have not been providing accurate data. Only last month they upped the count by close to 800 cases in one day. Over 30 other countries and territories have somewhere between one and 218 confirmed cases.

The list includes Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Vietnam. As this is being written, almost 1,400 people have died from COVID-19, mainly in China.

Symptoms of COVID-19

COVID-19 has three main symptoms. They are cough, fever and noticeable shortness of breath. Some speculate that one reason why the numbers seem to fluctuate so quickly is due in part to the fact that a number of the additional symptoms are comparatively mild and some individuals infected with the virus may not display any indication of being ill at all.

In extreme cases, which usually happens in individuals who have immune systems that are weakened, like the elderly or ill, a respiratory infection can be followed by organ failure, pneumonia, or even death. COVID-19 is presently said to be spread from one human to another via close contact. There is an incubation period that reportedly ranges from two days to two weeks. At present, there is no antiviral treatment, vaccine, or cure.

Individuals infected with the coronavirus but are free of any underlying complications will probably recover assuming they get plenty of rest and fluids. Should you believe that you have any signs of respiratory illness, remain at home, be sure to always cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing, wash your hands often, and be sure to thoroughly clean and sanitize all frequently-touched surfaces. Most importantly, be sure to see your personal physician if you have recently been to China and are showing any of the previously-mentioned symptoms.

Protecting Yourself From The Coronavirus

You may have already seen travelers wearing masks. Unfortunately, masks are not guaranteed to prevent anyone from contracting the coronavirus. Masks should definitely be worn by anyone who is sneezing and coughing.

However, because they might help prevent the spread of any sickness from a common cold to COVID-19. If you are healthy but are in frequent direct contact with anyone infected, you should wear a mask. Washing your hands with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water is said to be critical in the prevention of the spread of COVID-19.

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Travel Advisories

The US Department of State issued an official Level 4 travel advisory for China on February 2, 2020. Officials advise all US citizens to avoid traveling to China because of COVID-19. Since then American, Delta, and United Airlines have canceled every flight between the U.S.A. and China through March 27th, April 30th, and March 28th, respectively.

All United States citizens who’ve flown to the Hubei province in China are now subject to quarantine for as long as two weeks upon returning to the US. US citizens who have flown anywhere else in China are presently subjected to health screening where they enter the US. They may be monitored for as long as 14 days. Additionally, any foreign national traveling to America from China may even be denied entry to the US.

Suggested Precautions

If you still have trips booked to China in the near future or even layovers in any airport in China, think about changing your plans. You should also know that numerous airlines are currently offering passengers waivers for their change fees. As this goes to press, frequent flyers should know that it remains relatively safe to travel to other locations including nations with confirmed cases of COVID-19. Simply be sure to take every precaution to protect your health.

Stay positive . . .

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