Coronavirus (COVID-19) Respiratory illness - Effect on Travel

[pauly7]

I'm about to buy 'The Weekend Oz' and hopefully read it but the headline on its web page as at 1000 on Saturday 1 February implies that your latter sentiment above may be optimistic.

Who really knows I guess and I am generally an optimistic person that’s for sure ....but I personally wouldn’t trust any of the slop that News Corp dishes out. All the commercial news outlets have to make money.

 

[pauly7]

Given you and colleagues might rarely travel at sale whY rates and often in J etc. at far higher tariffs per seat-kilometre, if that's a typical corporate reaction the airlines' revenues (and profits) will take an immediate hit, perhaps worse than some have publicly admitted. Of course it's an evolving situation.

I think you are right, I had to get approval to fly to Brisbane

I’m sure corporates ‘care’ about their employee’s health but the cynic in me also thinks corporates would also leap on a chance to quickly trim some expenses at any time, but particularly in an unstable environment should demand and revenue of their own potentially take a hit.

Some exporters of some products to China are going to get smashed I fear.

 

[Quickstatus]

Crown?
........

Australians eligible to be evacuated will have to roll their own dice and come to a conclusion for themselves and their families. Just like the bushfires - leave when you can or stay and fight. Some will go some will stay.

But don’t expect a Govt to charter a private jet for each family, put them up in a Hilton. Just remember many are homeless on the streets and many are displaced by bushfires. Roll the dice but don’t come running when you guessed wrong.

Currently about 600 in Wuhan but only about 150 have registered according the The Australian

 

[Pushka]

Crown?
........

Australians eligible to be evacuated will have to roll their own dice and come to a conclusion for themselves and their families. Just like the bushfires - leave when you can or stay and fight. Some will go some will stay.

But don’t expect a Govt to charter a private jet for each family, put them up in a Hilton. Just remember many are homeless on the streets and many are displaced by bushfires. Roll the dice but don’t come running when you guessed wrong.

Currently about 600 in Wuhan but only about 150 have registered according the The Australian

And today the media here interviewed a resident in Wuhan who had moved there and said he had no intentions of flying to CI. He was perfectly happy where he was and felt that things were being handled.

There is an image from a street in Wuhan I think, of a deceased person lying there. Of course, the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that the older person had died of coronavirus. While he was collected by people in hazsuits, I would have expected that would be par for course anyway. And there is no way we would hear of any retraction of that headline if the person had simply, died! as people are wont to do.

 

[Quickstatus]

Trigger warning: picture from a NewsCorp paper

8 Drs arrested then released

 

[Quickstatus]

There is an image from a street in Wuhan I think, of a deceased person lying there. Of course, the media immediately jumped to the conclusion that the older person had died of coronavirus. While he was collected by people in hazsuits.

Can’t be walking around and then just drop dead from a respiratory illness virus. Media hyperbole

 

[zenyattamondatta]

We’re putting the band back together...

For those of you who remember the Japanese digest and its English-language offshoot from back in the LM and MASA glory days, we’ve launched a forum with a tight facts-based focus on 2019-nCoV and its ramifications for travel and financial markets. Those interested please contact myself, sjk, or ketsuzei *in real life*.

 

[teammongo]

To @teammongo , or anyone else with actual knowledge.....

A common thing I see with regard to various illnesses is that it is the "young, sick, and elderly" that are often stated by laymen as the most at catastrophic risk. Yet I recall also that some diseases kill due to the over-forceful reaction of fit humans. What is the case with this Coronavirus?

This is important to me personally as I am a super-fit human being. My body has bested everything from malaria to rabid dog and bat bites through to consuming even West Australian wine.....

Seriously though, is this an illness that can be more harmful to those with strong immune systems, or is it something that has worse effects on already-debilitated hosts??

Juddles, we don't know the answers to that. Drawing parallels to non related diseases I don't think is helpful or reassuring.

Of the 99 Wuhan patients in the Lancet
2/3 were male
Avg Age 55
49% had no chronic disease. Of those who did chronic disease, they comprised mainly cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes. Chronic respiratory disease, importantly, only made up 1%. So they were not respiratory cripples.

Of the 99 patients (as at Jan25), 31 had been discharged, 11 had died, 57 were still in hospital.
The 11 who died
- 7 were over the age of 60.
- 3 had high blood pressure
- 3 were smokers
All died of multiorgan failure with a rapid deterioration.
Based on the above the authors noted "Our results suggest that 2019nCoV is more likely to infect older adult males with chronic comorbidities as a result of the weaker immune functions of these patients."

TM

PS Western Australian wine - ha ha

 

[Pushka]

It is ïnteresting" watching how cruise lines are coping with this. Should the current situation still not be "resolved" in July, we would have been denied boarding of the cruise we had booked starting in Rome as our original flights had us transiting through Hong Kong on CX. When CX started cancelling flights a few weeks ago we cancelled the award seats totally and booked on Qatar.

1. Regardless of nationality, we will deny boarding to any individual who has travelled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days. These guests will receive full refunds.
2. There will be mandatory specialized health screenings performed on:

• Guests who have been in contact with individuals who have traveled from, to or through mainland China or Hong Kong in the past 15 days;
• All holders of China or Hong Kong passports – regardless of when they were last in China or Hong Kong;
• Guests who report feeling unwell or demonstrate any flu-like symptoms;
• Any guest presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screening will be denied boarding.

3. These standards also apply to all employees, crew members and contractors of RCL.

4. We have cancelled all China and Hong Kong sailings through mid-February. Guests on cancelled cruises will also receive full refunds.

 

[teammongo]

QS,

I had heard of multiple cases of unexplained pneumonitis from colleagues in Hong Kong in December. It will be interesting to see how much was known about the the beginnings of this.

TM

 

[Melburnian1]

I think you are right, I had to get approval to fly to Brisbane ...

That's an overreaction isn't it? I thought companies would only be concerned about overseas travel, and perhaps only to mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau.

 

[pauly7]

That's an overreaction isn't it? I thought companies would only be concerned about overseas travel, and perhaps only to mainland China/Hong Kong/Macau.

Personally I agree with you, but having the hand brake on travel is kinda nice.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Currently about 600 in Wuhan but only about 150 have registered according the The Australian

Had me thinking some of the others are waiting for a sale

cheers skip

 

[pauly7]

Had me thinking some of the others are waiting for a sale

cheers skip

Lots of spare seats to lie down if you are in economy!

 

[oz_mark]

Qantas will suspend its two direct services to mainland China (Sydney-Beijing and Sydney-Shanghai) from 9 February until 29 March 2020

• Suspension of mainland China services from 9 February 2020
• Reflects impact of international travel bans on crew logistics across broader network
• No change to Qantas services between Australia and Hong Kong

QANTAS UPDATE ON CHINA SERVICES

Keep up to date with Qantas' latest news and information, media releases, articles, images and more with the Qantas News Room.

www.qantasnewsroom.com.au

 

[I love to travel]

Did airlines do these mass cancellations during the SARS virus?
@jb747 might be able to specifically recall what Qantas did.

Post automatically merged: Feb 1, 2020

Did airlines do these mass cancellations during the SARS virus?
@jb747 might be able to specifically recall what Qantas did.

 

[p--and--t]

To @teammongo , or anyone else with actual knowledge.....

A common thing I see with regard to various illnesses is that it is the "young, sick, and elderly" that are often stated by laymen as the most at catastrophic risk. Yet I recall also that some diseases kill due to the over-forceful reaction of fit humans. What is the case with this Coronavirus?

This is important to me personally as I am a super-fit human being. My body has bested everything from malaria to rabid dog and bat bites through to consuming even West Australian wine.....

Seriously though, is this an illness that can be more harmful to those with strong immune systems, or is it something that has worse effects on already-debilitated hosts??

Not a medico, nor particularly well informed or qualified to provide advice but by deduction ....

2019-nCov -> a form of chest infection/pneumonia -> oxygen often required -> people with reduced lung capacity at risk -> smokers at risk.

 

[jb747]

Qantas will suspend its two direct services to mainland China (Sydney-Beijing and Sydney-Shanghai) from 9 February until 29 March 2020

• Suspension of mainland China services from 9 February 2020
• Reflects impact of international travel bans on crew logistics across broader network
• No change to Qantas services between Australia and Hong Kong

So, why in a week's time, and not with immediate effect?

Did airlines do these mass cancellations during the SARS virus?
@jb747 might be able to specifically recall what Qantas did.

I can't tell you exactly what happened, because, due to a mistake in my bidding, I only went to NZ for the entire two month period that SARS was a real issue. I do know that there was a lot of pattern disruption on the 767 due to SARs, but none on the NZ routes I was flying.

As an aside, it was a very pleasant two months.

 

[Sabot]

So at what point do we start stockpiling food, water and ammunition?

Looking online, it's pretty hard to find anywhere with the N95 Masks, Lol.

 

[Quickstatus]

So at what point do we start stockpiling food, water and ammunition?

Looking online, it's pretty hard to find anywhere with the N95 Masks, Lol.

Luckily 2019 n-COV don't turn infected people into walking zombies (currently)
Come to think of it I have not come across religious zealots proclaiming the end of the world. As far as I know bushfires, n-COV and climate change is not part of the 7 signs of the "second coming"/end of the world.

Like i said Bunnings have the 3M P2/N95 masks which are also good for the bushfires.