The coronavirus or COVID-19 had spread everywhere and it’s getting everyone’s lives affected in a bigger or minor way. We like it or not, we are all involved somehow.
I have written a longer article I have published explaining more details about the COVID-19 and how it’s affecting your life and travels, YOU CAN READ IT HERE
I’m a healthcare professional and now I’m just trying to share with you my position in this situation.
As a traveler, I’m sad even reading the title of this article, but I can’t keep denying what’s happening today in our beloved world.
This article is definitely not to spread panic and I don’t think is worth to run and do “Hamsterkäufe”, in German, shopping like a hamster, but I believe this is the time to stop being f* selfish and do whatever is in our hands to slow down the spread of this virus.
This means: STOP TRAVELING!
I’m not sick from the new virus yet, but I am with much of what I’m reading daily in the media, from travelers, travel agents, and even from fellow bloggers who keep telling everyone not to freak out, buy that ticket and keep traveling. I only agree with the don’t freak out part, as I think that it’s not helping us in any way and most probably weakening your immune system.
Here are some of the precious quotes I’ve been reading the last days:
- I will get the virus here or at home, why should I stop my plans?
- I have good health insurance, so I’m covered everywhere (I would triple check I’m really covered)
- I have money, so I don’t care if some of my bookings are lost due to changes
- But the tickets are so cheap! I’m buying and going anyway, If I die, I die.
Seriously? Do you really think this is all about YOU getting sick?
Reality is, if you are young and healthy enough you will probably get the virus and the symptoms will be like a very strong flu, you will have fever, cough and even perhaps diarrhea, but you will be fine in less then a week.
What’s the problem then?
Even when symptoms are similar, this is not the flu nor influenza, and there’s yet no treatment, vaccine or immunity.
As we don’t yet have immunity against the coronavirus, its limit is the entire global population and it’s spreading quickly and exponentially, meaning in one day the numbers can be doubling and the health system has no capacity to treat so many people at the same time, especially important for those requiring ICU and ventilatory therapy (going into a ventilator).
The biggest problem is if you are carrying this virus, but not presenting any symptoms, that can happen even for up to 24 days, you go to your flight, you arrive at the hotel, and do whatever you are planning to do but someone who is older, immunosuppressed or having other diseases can be really sick and have their lives in risk.
You might think, well, if they are so sick, they should stay at home and not me, but some of those diseases are high blood pressure or diabetes, not uncommon today in population over 50yo. What if you go back home and you visit your family and your grandparents get sick and they go to ICU thanks to you? I wouldn’t really risk, nor I would be able to carry the guilt for the rest of my life.
What about traveling to an island or a less privileged country and you are the ones carrying the virus to a population under a really bad health system, where the whole country is having a few physicians? Do you think this is supporting them just because you are spending a little money with local tour operators or hoteliers?
Quarantine and travel bans are not the solution
Quarantine and travel bans might not the best solutions to stop this pandemic, but it’s the tool we have today that is better regarding reality. And the good news is the virus is getting lower numbers already in China, where all started in December 2019.
Wondering why we have to stay at home?
Because the virus is a zoonotic virus and one of its characteristics is the ability to spread very quickly once in contact with animals or humans.
We are social beings and we are incredibly but also dangerously connected, plus having a very damaged planet from which we are affecting whole ecosystems, getting in close proximity with species we probably shouldn’t and thus getting exposed to pathogens we are not ready to be exposed to.
If all the countries had a good health care system we would be talking about something else, and quarantine and travel restrictions might not be needed, but there are several countries lacking basic health care resources, and others with a lack of physicians in many regions, like Nepal, Bangladesh, Peru, or with inequitable distribution of physicians, like Indonesia.
Traveling can get expensive with Coronavirus
I understand we are all suffering from this today, we are all seeing bookings cancelations, we are having our trips canceled or postponed, as well as conferences, concerts, museums, cruises, and flights. Today the Tour Eiffel, the Louvre Museum are closed in Paris until further notice, Disney is closed too, and like that, several attractions might join and might make your trip not as you expected to be.
Trust me, I’m the most annoyed about this whole situation. I work in tourism and my life is organized around traveling. I already have had all my travel plans for March, April and May canceled and there’s no certainty until when this situation will carry on.
This situation is changing so rapidly and whole countries are being blocked and put into quarantine to stop the spread of the virus, like Italy or China, and there’s a big probability several countries including Germany will follow the same measures.
But it might happen your dream vacation is staying in one place cause the whole country enters into quarantine upon your arrival, are you willing to lose your valuable time and money?
The only thing we can do is stop being selfish and think about the bigger scenario, doing some sacrifices today might be better for all of us soon and being aware that your actions do affect others.
What to do in the meantime?
This might not be the moment to travel, but what you can certainly do is to use this time to stay calm (and put), don’t panic, and do the things you are having in the to-do-list forever, this will be for the benefit of everyone and yourself, as it might probably help to stop the spread of the COVID-19 and make things back to normality again quicker.
Places are going to stay right where they are right now.
This is the perfect moment to start planning your adventures for when this situation clears out and we can all start traveling again. It will happen and hopefully in a shorter time than expected.
I highly recommend you if you are going to do any reservations, do it where you can cancel while the date of your trip is getting close, so you don’t lose the money. Booking.com is a great option for this!
Useful Links:
CDC Center for Disease Control and Prevention
0 Comments