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

[p--and--t]

I’m thinking of changing from my current CX award flights to Europe, onto MH instead via Kuala Lumpur, for August

Does anyone know how much to worry about the financial trouble MH is in? At this point my feeing is that they’re less likely to cancel than CX. It’s hard to know, I realise. I’m not at all worried about actually getting Coronavirus from a transfer at either HKG or KUL but more stressed about all the cancellations etc that are flowing from this.

I'm booked 4 sectors on MH in July. Have no qualms at this stage.

If I had a CX ticket, I would personally looking to change for a route that did not include HKG for at least 3 months. YMMV.

 

[SeatBackForward]

I would not worry about MH - it would be unlikely the govmnt would let them fail.

FWIW, I have currently some flight booked for late August on them.

Early/Mid August for me with MH, I'm thinking this whole Corona Virus thing will have either disappeared or be contained well enough to not be an issue by then.

 

[Oubline]

Early/Mid August for me with MH, I'm thinking this whole Corona Virus thing will have either disappeared or be contained well enough to not be an issue by then.

Thank you! Let’s hope so. I expect the same in terms of the virus, I’m thinking that Cathay and HK has been so hit that the recovery in tourist traffic for there will possibly just take longer to recover than MH and Kuala Lumpur which don’t seem to have been hit as hard.

 

[p--and--t]

Interesting.

Iran suddenly appeared in the stats from zero yesterday to today - with 2 cases, both dead.

And South Korea is rapidly rising in the last 48 hours with 51 new cases yesterday. Japan (ex Ship), Sth Korea and Singapore are neck in neck following China.

Given Singapore stats are on a balance of probabilities the most accurate, South Korea is the one likely to rise quickly over coming days.

I don't trust the Japanese stats at all given the total mishandling of events so far.

 

[PineappleSkip]

In HKG now. A lot of the loadings are so light, and the airport so empty, that the infection risk is somewhat reduced (if the crowds are gonr). All set to book a DSC trip or two.

Next flight is to ADD on ET. Given the timing, I'm doing a trip report. with further and better particulars

edit: ET J is fuller than I've seen it before. Mostly full of people in ET pilot uniforms!

 

[QFflyermelbourne]

Report I read elsewhere of a SYD-HKG CX 773 that had 79 people on board (23 in business)!

 

[suze2000]

Finally, comfortable seating in Y!

 

[dajop]

Seat map below of a flight from MEL-SIN today about 90 mins before departure. Won't say which airline, but it's a 777. I'm hoping that my flights to MEL later this week, and back a week later will have similar Plenty of room to isolate from other pax.

View attachment 206210

OK, some more discussion on this, which is an EK seat map. The QF and SQ flights have not been nearly so empty on this route. My partner pointed out that EK are waiving change fees and fare difference for flights to/from SIN, but SQ and QF are not. May have had a bearing on the light loads too.

 

[Princess Fiona]

I’m in SIN now, to quote the Ad “Where the Bl@@dy Hell Are You?”
Arrivals was interesting yesterday evening with twelfty hundred pax wearing completely ineffective masks.
Occupancy is down big time (scored a suite at Conrad on super cheap FHR rate).
Temperature scanning at various points today including every single Louis Vuitton boutique
I’d have no hesitation in continuing with any travel plans here, it’s clean, safe and the regular SIN but with a few masks and the weird scanning bit.

 

[dajop]

I’m in SIN now, to quote the Ad “Where the Bl@@dy Hell Are You?”

Just came the other way today.. The touristy areas of SIN are very quiet, the local areas, not as quiet. Driver on the way to the airport earlier this afternoon was wanting to give me his CV, apparently lot of struggling taxi/grab/transfer car drivers at the moment. He mentioned that some taxi drivers not working, as they can't cover the daily rental. Hope it picks up soon.

I can't say I'd have no hesitation in continuing travel plans, as I live in the city, but you are right it is very clean, lots of places to sanitise your hands, an acutely aware population. . I haven't been worried, it really is life pretty close to normal.

And if you find yourself in a crowd and a bit worried about catching something, just cough loudly for 10 seconds, that should clear everyone (joking!!).

 

[Pushka]

Just came the other way today.. The touristy areas of SIN are very quiet, the local areas, not as quiet. Driver on the way to the airport earlier this afternoon was wanting to give me his CV, apparently lot of struggling taxi/grab/transfer car drivers at the moment. He mentioned that some taxi drivers not working, as they can't cover the daily rental. Hope it picks up soon.

I can't say I'd have no hesitation in continuing travel plans, as I live in the city, but you are right it is very clean, lots of places to sanitise your hands, an acutely aware population. . I haven't been worried, it really is life pretty close to normal.

And if you find yourself in a crowd and a bit worried about catching something, just cough loudly for 10 seconds, that should clear everyone (joking!!).

Apparently it’s also the thing to do if you are stuck in a long queue anywhere. Clears it out in no time.

 

[tgh]

WUHAN, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, plans to build another 19 makeshift hospitals to receive more infected patients, local authorities said Friday.

Upon their completion, all the makeshift hospitals in Wuhan are expected to offer 30,000 beds on Feb. 25, said Hu Yabo, deputy mayor of Wuhan at a press briefing on epidemic prevention and control.

To date, Wuhan has converted 13 existing venues into temporary hospitals, with a total of 13,348 beds, and about 9,313 beds have been put into use to treat patients with mild symptoms, said Hu.

To improve their medical treatment capability, every makeshift hospital will be supplied with CT scanners and other medical equipment including ECG monitors, Hu added.

About 72 medical teams from other regions of China have been dispatched to these temporary hospitals to aid local colleagues to treat patients and contain the virus spread.

The total number of confirmed cases in hard-hit Wuhan has reached 45,346 as of Thursday. Enditem

 

[tgh]

And so it begins.. Phase 2…..

A sixth person in B.C. is believed to be infected with the coronavirus, and the case is raising new questions about how the disease is spreading, health officials announced Thursday.

The latest patient is a woman in her 30s who lives in the Fraser Health region, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. She had recently returned from a trip to Iran and is now recovering at home.

Henry said officials were surprised when they learned the woman had only visited Iran, and not China or neighbouring countries that have seen the bulk of COVID-19 cases.

"That could be an indicator that there's more widespread transmission. This is what we call an indicator or sentinel event

 

[p--and--t]

And so it begins.. Phase 2…..

A sixth person in B.C. is believed to be infected with the coronavirus, and the case is raising new questions about how the disease is spreading, health officials announced Thursday.

The latest patient is a woman in her 30s who lives in the Fraser Health region, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. She had recently returned from a trip to Iran and is now recovering at home.

Henry said officials were surprised when they learned the woman had only visited Iran, and not China or neighbouring countries that have seen the bulk of COVID-19 cases.

"That could be an indicator that there's more widespread transmission. This is what we call an indicator or sentinel event

Something is going on in Iran - now 4 deaths and 18 infected from reporting zero a couple days ago.

South Korea figures are rising rapidly, doubled on 24 hours.

No movement in Hong Kong sounds fishy.

Italy needs to get a handle on theirs by the look of the last 24 hrs.

Japan - don't trust their figures at all.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Meanwwhile, in Australia, flu tracking has started early given the COVID-19 situtation. Friend sent me the link to flu tracker, and I enrolled

Flutracker

 

[Pushka]

Meanwwhile, in Australia, flu tracking has started early given the COVID-19 situtation. Friend sent me the link to flu tracker, and I enrolled

Flutracker

The vaccine wont be out until early April. MrP had developed the flu by then last year! I notice that the quadravalent kind has three types plus one labeled South Australian. Last year SA was hit really badly with flu and very early and well before the Eastern States.

 

[p--and--t]

Significant reductions here, some through to October - I suggest check your bookings

THAI Wins Three Skytrax Awards 2018

View all recent Thai Airways International news and announcements, including current THAI travel updates, news details and more.

www.thaiairways.com

 

[p--and--t]

OK, some more discussion on this, which is an EK seat map. The QF and SQ flights have not been nearly so empty on this route. My partner pointed out that EK are waiving change fees and fare difference for flights to/from SIN, but SQ and QF are not. May have had a bearing on the light loads too.

Saw a picture yesterday on the net (now disappeared) that showed a passenger on QR from UK to Doha in Y 3 days ago. He was the only passenger in his row and the row in front and behind were empty.

 

[tgh]

Safe to travel to Europe ? ….. maybe not ...

Rome (AFP) - Authorities in northern Italy on Friday ordered the closure of schools, bars and other public spaces in 10 towns following a flurry of new coronavirus cases.

Five doctors and 10 other people tested positive for the virus in Lombardy, after apparently frequenting the same bar and group of friends, with two other cases in Veneto, authorities said at a press conference.

Over 50,000 people have been asked to stay at home in the areas concerned, while all public activities such as carnival celebrations, church masses and sporting events have been banned for up to a week.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said "everything is under control", and stressed the government was maintaining "an extremely high level of precaution".

Streets in the towns were deserted, with only a few people seen abroad, and signs showing public spaces closed.

In Casalpusterlengo, a large electronic message board outside the town hall read "Coronavirus: the population is invited to remain indoors as a precaution".

The first town to be shuttered was Codogno, with a population of 15,000, where three people tested positive for the virus, including a 38-year old man and his wife, who is eight months pregnant.

Three others there have tested positive to a first novel coronavirus test and are awaiting their definitive results.

Codogno mayor Francesco Passerini said the news of the cases "has sparked alarm" throughout the town south of Milan.

The 38-year old, who works for Unilever in Lodi, was in a serious condition in intensive care.

- 'Extremely worried' -

He had dined earlier this month with a man who had visited China in January, and had later shown flu-like symptoms, but has since tested negative for the virus, Italian media said.

A football friend of his, the son of a bar owner in Codogno, has also tested positive, along with three regulars at the bar.

The three, all of whom are retired, live in the small town of Castiglione d'Adda. The mayor there said the locals were "extremely worried" about the spread of the deadly disease.

Some 250 people were being placed in isolation after coming into contact with the new cases, according to the Lombardy region, and 60 worker at Unilever have been tested for the virus.

Trenord regional railway said its trains would no longer be stopping in three stations in the affected area.

The head of the Veneto region, Luca Zaia, said a 78 and 67-year old, from the village of Vo' Euganeo, at the foot of the Euganean Hills near Padua, had tested positive.

He said "a sanitary ring" would be created around the village, where public spaces would be closed.

Three other cases of the virus in Italy are being treated in isolation at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome

 

[Pushka]

Once the Virus reaches every country then the border controls will be meaningless.