Traveling and planning your travels are more complicated than ever with flight schedules, travel advisories and country restrictions changing every day as the coronavirus outbreak develops. You may or may not be compensated if your trip is canceled because of the pandemic.
Canceling a trip is dependent on whether you bought a refundable ticket or have the right type of travel insurance. Regular travel insurance will not cover cancellation because of alarm about the coronavirus outbreak. You will need to buy a "Cancel for Any Reason" (CFAR) policy.
China is still recording new cases of coronavirus. The number of infected has amounted to more than 119,000 and fatalities are over 3,000. Travelers should be updated with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) websites for the latest information on the coronavirus outbreak.
Travelers and travel providers are now being forced to rethink plans and make adjustments in accordance with the situation. Your choices for a cancellation or refund may be limited as of now. As the situation continues to evolve, refund policies will possibly change now that the novel coronavirus is at pandemic status.
When your flight has been canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak, airlines will allow you a full refund so you should contact them directly. However, you may still have other costs such as the hotel bookings you made.
Some K-12 schools are beginning to announce postponements and cancellations of activities and events while still holding regular classes. Meanwhile, some have announced that they would cancel classes in order to give teachers and administrators at district schools time to prepare for possible and sudden school closure.
Airbnb's qualifications for refunds under its new extenuating circumstances coronavirus policy only apply to China, Italy and South Korea.
The novel coronavirus has hit the travel industry hard. Some airlines have canceled flights to some countries, hotels have closed and then some of the major conferences of the year have been scrapped.
Experts said while certain insurers have loosened their restrictions, fear of being infected by the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, is not covered under a standard policy. Due to the widespread pathogen now being considered a known factor for travel - i.e., it has been declared a pandemic - it is possibly excluded from coverage.
Many travelers are nowadays putting off booking trips and canceling existing plans to travel. Some have found creative ways to compensate for their vacation, while hotels are offering staycation packages to lure travelers who do not want to go far from home.
If your trip is canceled, you will not get a 100 percent refund for your trip, even upon purchasing a comprehensive "Cancel For Any Reason" (CFAR) travel coverage.
According to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association (USTIA), "travelers should check with their airlines and other travel suppliers before filing a claim to see if they are offering refunds, waivers, or other accommodations."
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