Coronavirus creates concern over spring break travel

You don’t have to be traveling to China to be concerned about the coronavirus.

With so many people making plans for spring break, there’s a whole world of uncertainty to worry about and concerns over where the disease could be a few weeks from now.

“We don’t know what this could be. Or what this could turn out to be,” said Tyler Farquhar, whose been traveling with a surgical mask. “We’re all just hoping for the best.”

“There’s no guarantee,” said Binnie Coppersmith with Tampa Palms Travelworld.

Coppersmith says anyone planning a trip anywhere right now should absolutely purchase travel insurance.

But beware, she says, as most policies have a clause that excludes pandemics or outbreaks of disease.

If airlines, hotels and tour operators decide to cancel, most reputable outfits will give you your money back. But not necessarily the other way around.

“If you were just nervous about going to a particular area, travel insurance doesn’t cover being nervous,” said Coppersmith.

So, what can you do?

At the time of purchase, travelers can upgrade to something called a "Cancel for Any Reason benefit."

They cost more, and you might not get all of your money back, but at least it would be something.

“Frankly, I think anybody who travels and doesn’t purchase travel insurance is making a grave error,” said Coppersmith.

There’s no way of knowing what parts of the world the coronavirus could spread to, or how long it could last.

In China, they expect the outbreak to peak in a week or two. But in 2002, the SARS outbreak was still a problem eight months later.

“I don’t think that anyone really covers it that intricately enough. And if they are, they’re not letting it out to everyone,” said passenger Katie Murray. “They’re not going to cause chaos and let it be known in the media how fast it’s traveling or where we should steer away from.”

Coppersmith also says getting insurance for a trip can be like trying to buy flood insurance ahead of a hurricane. Once the threat has been identified, or in this case, a travel warning is issued, you can no longer purchase a policy that will cover it.

So, if you’re thinking about getting travel insurance, buy it when you make your plans, she says. And hope that the concern ends up being more widespread than the disease.

“You don’t want to end up with it, that’s all I know,” said Farquhar. “It could be very, very bad.”



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