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Travel and the Coronavirus: Answers to Your Top Questions

Advice from experts on how to navigate the changing travel landscape.

A passenger going through security at Kennedy Airport’s international departures terminal, where travel has slowed because of the coronavirus. Credit...Spencer Platt/Getty Images

As the coronavirus continues to spread across the globe and countries continue to tighten their travel restrictions, questions about where it is possible to travel and whether it is wise to do so have become increasingly complicated.

In an effort to limit the spread of the new coronavirus, in recent days Hawaii and Florida have announced new restrictions on domestic travel, mandating 14-day self-quarantines for some newly arriving visitors.

That followed the United States closing its borders with Mexico and Canada last week. The Canadian and Mexican borders closed to nonessential travel beginning on March 21.

Additionally, the State Department last week raised its global travel advisory to a Level 4, recommending United States citizens not to travel to any other country because of the global effects of the outbreak. This is the agency’s highest advisory.

Experts say you need to stay informed. Here is their advice on some of the most pressing questions facing people who might be considering traveling.

[Read more on travel insurance during the coronavirus pandemic.]

After a week in which international travel was largely shut down, restrictions on domestic travel have begun. Hawaii and Florida both sought to cut down on the number of out-of-state travelers by announcing that some newly arriving visitors would have to self-quarantine for 14 days. In Florida, the quarantine only applies to those who fly to the state from New York or New Jersey.

Beginning March 26, both returning residents and visitors traveling to Hawaii will be subject to the mandatory self-quarantine. Returning residents are instructed to quarantine themselves at home, while visitors have to quarantine themselves at their travel lodging, according to the governor’s office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida announced his state’s measure on Monday. (It does not apply to people entering the state by car.)

“Hopefully that will be a deterrent for people if you’re just trying to escape here to avoid the restrictions that have been put in place in your own state,” Mr. DeSantis said in a news conference.

Last week, President Trump said that he could restrict domestic travel to regions of the United States.

When asked by a reporter in the Oval Office whether he was considering restricting travel inside the country to hard-hit states like Washington or California, Mr. Trump said the subject had not yet been discussed.

But, he added: “Is it a possibility? Yes, if somebody gets a little bit out of control, if an area gets too hot.”

Some hard-hit states have declared a state of emergency or a public health emergency, including Washington, California, New York and Florida. As a practical matter, a state of emergency or a public health emergency does not affect travel — flights are not canceled and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not issue any travel restrictions.

States of emergency are used by local and state governments to help them shift funding, as well as to have the authority to close schools and other facilities.

Those additional powers also mean that travel could be restricted, as Florida and Hawaii have done, if the state or local government thought it necessary, said Jessica Justman, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

“That flexibility that the government then gains might allow the government to lay out certain policies and those policies in turn could easily affect what an individual can do or not do.”

Even though domestic travel has not been restricted, Dr. Isaac Weisfuse, an adjunct professor of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Cornell University School of Public Health said the most responsible thing is to avoid it.

Dr. Justman said there were two things to think about: “Who you are and who is in your network.”

If you spend a lot of time around older people or someone who has a chronic illness — sections of the population at a higher risk of the coronavirus — traveling domestically would pose a risk to them. But for younger people who are not around those two groups of people, she said: “It’s going to be easier for them to decide to go and visit other cities.”

A Level 4 advisory is issued when the State Department considers there is a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks” if you travel.

This is the highest warning level that the federal agency can issue, and comes during an emergency, when the federal government may be very limited to assist you while traveling.

The advisory recommends that United States citizens either remain at home, return home as soon as its safe to do so, or stay in place.

The more people you come in contact with while traveling, the higher the risk of getting infected with the virus, said Dr. David Abramson, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s School of Global Public Health and the director of the research program PiR2.

“You want to be in a situation where you are least likely to mix with others,” Dr. Abramson said.

That means taking shorter flights and avoiding connections if possible. If your flight is three hours long or less, Dr. Abramson said that staying in your seat for the entire flight might be the best option to limit your contact with other passengers and airplane crew.

“I would recommend using the bathroom in the terminal rather than on the plane if you can manage that,” Dr. Abramson said. The terminal restroom is likely to be bigger and cleaned more often than the one on the airplane, two aspects that minimize the risk of getting infection.

If you encounter the worst case scenario where someone is sneezing or coughing less than six feet away from you (or within the next two rows), you should ask the flight attendant if it’d be possible to change seats to another area of the plane, Dr. Abramson said. If that is not possible, you could also ask the flight attendant to tell the sick passenger to wear a mask, he added.

If you are fortunate to book a window seat, that might be the safest seat of a row, Dr. Abramson said.

“Prior research has shown that people in window seats come into contact with fewer people and move around less on a plane,” Dr. Abramson said. “ Both of these things are protective.” (He’s referring to this 2018 Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology study.)

And there’s more you could do. While on the plane, you should wipe down any surfaces you are likely to touch such as the seat tray and the seat’s arm rest. If you can avoid touching any surfaces, that’s ideal, Dr. Abramson added. But if you do touch any surfaces while on the plane, washing your hands and not touching your face are even more critical if you are flying.

“Those are the basics,” Dr. Abramson said.

President Trump has said it could take until July or August for life to get back to normal. Doctors and scientists have guessed it could be sooner than that, cautiously predicting the virus could subside in the next two months.

But what happens to travelers who have an upcoming trip they booked months or weeks ago and who are not sure what to do: To cancel or not to cancel?

“It depends on the date and the destination that they are going to,” said Linda Bendt, the owner of Pique Travel Design, a travel agency based in Minnesota.

If your trip is coming up in the next two weeks, Ms. Bendt said, you probably already know the answer to this question — health experts say you should not travel.

If you are not traveling until late May or after, don’t worry about making this decision right now. Wait until your “go, no go date” — the last day for you to cancel without incurring penalties from your travel providers, Ms. Bendt said.

“Don’t stress about it until that date,” said Ms. Bendt, who has 25 years of experience as a travel agent.

One thing working in your favor is that many airlines, hotels and other travel companies have loosened their cancellation policies to give travelers more flexibility during the pandemic.

Marion McDonald, an independent travel agent with Brownell Travel, who has been in full cancellation mode these past days, said she is not recommending any travel before mid-April to her clients. If you are considering canceling your trip, wait until the last minute possible to make an informed decision, she said.

“I’m telling my people to hold tight for now,” Ms. McDonald said. “Let’s wait and see for anything mid-April and beyond.”

But in the end, Ms. McDonald said, choosing to go or not to go is up to you.

“When they say to me, ‘What would you do?’ that is not my job to answer,” Ms. McDonald said. “My only job is to provide only calm, accurate information and lay out of their options that will allow them to make the ultimate decision about whether they travel.”

On the same day that the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, President Trump announced he was suspending travel from Europe to the United States, beginning on March 13.

One day later, the administration extended the ban to include those traveling from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The ban applies to foreigners who have been in the 26 countries that make up the European Union’s Schengen Area, as well as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the last two weeks. For a complete list of the 26 countries, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s website.

Initially, Mr. Trump had said the ban would be in place for 30 days, but later the White House said the restrictions will remain in place “until terminated by the President.”

Yes. There’s been some confusion following President Trump’s announcement that he would restrict the entrance of travelers from Europe to the United States, beginning on March 13. Some Americans in Europe scrambled to get home after learning about the impending deadline.

But the ban does not apply to American citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States, according to Mr. Trump’s proclamation.

The travel restrictions also generally exclude the immediate families (spouses, parents and siblings) of American citizens and permanent legal residents. However, those travelers might be directed to certain airports for enhanced screening.

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces, including their spouses and children, are also exempt from the ban, the proclamation stated.

The issue is not whether you fly or drive, said Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Global Health Committee, but why you are going at all.

The whole idea of avoiding nonessential travel and promoting social distancing is to stay close to home to prevent the outbreak from spreading.

Though, admittedly, in a car you would be less exposed to the virus than you might be on a plane, the same is not true when you get out of the car.

“It’s about what you’re going to do when you get there,” Dr. Kuppalli said. Once you got to your destination, you would likely still be having contact with other people, she added.

It depends. Typically, you would have to at least pay a cancellation fee or booking penalty if you did not buy a fully refundable ticket, which is usually more expensive.

But the coronavirus has hit airlines hard, and many, including Delta, United and American, are loosening their booking policies and suspending cancellation or rescheduling fees.

“At the moment, the airlines are being very helpful,” said Jonathan Breeze, chief executive of AardvarkCompare Travel Insurance, a travel insurance company. “These are not normal circumstances and the airlines are seeing that people are not booking flights, so airlines are offering commercial flexibility.”

“Obviously, the 800 numbers are overwhelmed,” said Michael Holtz, the founder and chief executive of SmartFlyer, a luxury travel agency. “Because of the coronavirus and the news, things have just spiraled out of control and a lot of people have questions.”

Last week, many of the major airlines in the United States informed travelers that they could expect longer wait times to speak to a customer service agent.

“We are receiving more calls than we typically do and your hold time may be longer than usual,” a United recorded message said. The wait time was 90 minutes.

Other airlines like Delta redirected callers to their websites and their apps, where they could find more information about rescheduling or canceling flights, a recorded message instructed. American had the option to leave your contact information for an agent to call you back in the next two hours, the longest you could hold your place in line.

Mr. Holtz said the airlines’ websites and apps are travelers’ fastest ways to answer their questions or change their travel plans.

“My advice is to use technology,” Mr. Holtz said. If travelers have the good fortune of having a travel agent, they should contact the agent as soon as possible, as many have direct connections with airlines, he added.

Shashank Nigam, the chief executive of Simpliflying, an airline marketing strategy firm, said social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook are your best option during these times.

“Most airline social customer service staff can help cancel or reschedule flights, or answer any questions about waivers,” Mr. Nigam said.

Insurance companies have very specific circumstances under which they pay out if you decide to cancel or interrupt your trip.

Choosing not to travel because you are concerned about getting infected with the coronavirus is not one of them, nor is a government advisory, said John Cook, president and chief executive of Quotewright.com, a travel insurance company.

“Those covered reasons are very specific and they do not include being fearful of being exposed to a virus and the government telling you not to travel,” Mr. Cook said.

The answer has been to buy what is called cancel-for-any-reason coverage, which costs more, but usually lets you recoup about 75 percent of your money, Mr. Cook said.

But that option may be disappearing. Jason Schreier, the chief executive of APRIL Travel Protection, a travel insurance company, said that his company’s sales of cancel-for-any-reason insurance had jumped 275 percent since the outbreak began. APRIL recently stopped selling the upgraded policies, after its under-writers required the company to pull them from the market.

“We’ve never seen a spike in the any-reason purchases like we’re seeing now,” Mr. Schreier said. “It’s an unprecedented spike, which caused an unprecedented reaction.”

Other companies, like Generali and RoamRight, have also stopped letting purchasers upgrade to a cancel for any reason policy, according to letters they sent to insurance agents.

Possibly.

If you travel to a city that does not have a large number of confirmed cases — or perhaps no cases at all — but the number of confirmed cases rapidly increases during your stay, it could affect what happens when you return home, said Dr. Scott Weisenberg, an infectious disease doctor at New York University School of Medicine, and director of the university’s Travel Medicine Program.

“You might be restricted on your re-entry,” Dr. Weisenberg said, adding that you could be asked to quarantine yourself at home, or be placed in a special facility.

Even if you are not quarantined by health officials, some companies are requiring employees who have been traveling to work remotely, he added. And things are changing rapidly.

“Those answers may vary depending on ongoing public health changes,” Dr. Weisenberg said. “Once we have widespread testing available, then it will be easier for travelers to have a better idea of what the risk is in different areas.”

Airbnb recently updated its “extenuating circumstances” policy, making it easier to get a refund in some countries.

If you have a reservation in the United States, mainland China, South Korea or Italy, and you wish to cancel it, you can do so free of charge for bookings generally through the beginning of April.

In the United States, if you have a reservation and you choose to cancel it, the company will fully refund you (including any fees) if you booked on or before March 13, with a check-in date of April 1, or earlier. (Check Airbnb’s website for the policy for mainland China, South Korea and Italy.)

You will also get a full refund if you are traveling from the United States and have a reservation in Europe’s Schengen Area. (The policy applies to reservations that have been made on or before March 11, for travel between March 13 and April 13.)

If you are a guest in any other country and you cancel, the company will fully refund your booking if you meet the following criteria: If you cannot complete your trip because of official travel restrictions, medical or disease control duties related to the coronavirus; if your flight or ground transportation is canceled by your carrier because of Covid-19 — or a suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19; or if you are complying with disease control restrictions implemented by relevant governmental or health authorities.

Additionally, in an effort to calm other guests’ travel anxieties, the company recently announced that, through June 1, guests who choose to cancel a home or an apartment booking — and who do not meet the circumstances and time frames already mentioned — will get a refund of Airbnb’s guest fee, which can be up to 14.2 percent of the total cost, excluding taxes. (The refund is a coupon that you can use during your next stay.)

For any other cancellations, how much money you get back will depend on your host’s cancellation policy (flexible, moderate or strict) advertised in the property listing. (For more details on cancellation policies, visit the Airbnb page.)

As of right now, Dr. Weisenberg of N.Y.U. cautioned travelers who might be tempted by a cheap airfare to put a lot of thought into whether they should book. Their safest option is to limit travel until the world has a better understanding of the virus, he said.“Think it through, don’t go on a whim,” he said.

Emily Palmer contributed reporting from New York.


Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to receive expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation.

Andrea Salcedo is a reporter for the Metro desk, and part of the 2019 New York Times Fellowship class. More about Andrea Salcedo

Sanam Yar is a writer for The Morning newsletter. She is based in New York. More about Sanam Yar

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