Advice for Milan/Coronavirus please

Jamesdeer001

Westin said:

Jamesdeer001 said:

Hi
I was wondering if I could get any advice/suggestions please.
I have previously booked to go to Milan with some friends for beginning of April. Hotel is fully refundable until a day or two before travel.
Flights are booked on my visa debit card (as I don't have a credit card).
Should the situation in Milan continue as it is, I'm not sure I'd want us to got Milan and would rather do something else. 
The hotels are refundable close to the date so shouldn't be an issue getting that back and rebooking. However. would the flights money be lost (unless Ryanair cancel flights, which at the moment seems unlikely). If there anything else I can do to cover myself financially?
Thanks in advance

Back to your question, at this time, unless the FCO issue advise not to travel or RyanAir cancel the flight, then if you decide not to travel then unfortunately you stand to lose your money on the flights.   I can't think of anything you can do or add to financially add protection at this time.   This is likely to come down to personal choice on travelling, or not.

Thanks for confirming, the whether I could buy anything to protect myself was what I wanted to know. Thanks

maman

I listened to a discussion on the radio earlier between Simon Calder, the travel writer, and a professor of virology. As you'd expect, they had very different views. Simon Calder said that you had no choice but to go ahead with a planned break or lose the money as it was simply disinclination to travel. He said he'd go to Southern Italy today just to make the most of the peace and quiet and cheap deals. That's not surprising as he is in the travel industry.
The professor raised concerns that even though the risk of death from contracting the virus is low, it is possible to then spread it unknowingly to others who are more vulnerable. Obviously, health was his priority rather than losing money on travel.
Then there was the issue of what self isolation means, how would it be viewed by employers etc. 

The FCO advice isn't very helpful IMO. It just passes the buck to the individual and takes no responsibility. While the discussion was going on there was news of a school that was sending children home for self isolation because they'd been on a ski trip in Italy last week although it wasn't in the quarantined area. We're getting close to Easter and there are many school visits planned (both to Italy and with Italian students maybe coming here). 
I think the FCO needs to give more robust advice. 

lovesgshp

The whole thing is completely overblown. Yes there are quite a few cases, but this was bound to happen. In my area alone there are many Chinese, but that did not stop me going to my local Chinese supermarket to by things a week or so ago and I will continue to visit it in the future.

Italians overreact to a cold wind as it might kill them.

I do not think half of Milan is shut down, but it may just be in the more ethnic areas, like Chinatown in the UK.

bradders1983

I mean, you could go to Milan and catch the flu from someone and bring it back home and give it to your granny and kill her, is it any different? 

lovesgshp

You are more likely to be run over by a stupid Italian driver, than catch the flu in Milan, or be poisoned by the smog.

15 years living here and know the mentality!!!

ciderboy2009

In January Italy had around 3 Million people confirmed with flu (around 250 deaths reported).

How come the Press didn't make such a fuss about that?
I've not looked at the figures today but Coronavirus infections were under 100,000 worldwide last time I looked.

I fly to Northern Italy on Saturday - my only concern is that the FCO bow to the pressure of the Press and advise against travel.

Jamesdeer001

regardless of what you would like the mentality to be, the fact is that at the weekend just gone, football was cancelled and a lot of bars and restaurants were closed. If I had been holidaying last weekend, I might not have had as good a time as I would otherwise have had elsewhere where these types of precautions (whether you agree with them or not) are happening. In 6 weeks times things might have improved, or they might have got worse just like in other Chinese cities that didn't quarantine earlier and many more things will be closed in Milan, hence the questions about cancellation etc.
My question is nothing to do with my likelihood of catching of Coronavirus or my likelihood of dying as a result

Westin

I'm going to post this BBC News link to the report titled "Your rights as a traveller" as I think it gives a fair and accurate account of what the situation is for travellers at the moment and answers many questions being asked on the MSE forum at the moment -   https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51615412

I will repeat on the other threads as it seems we have multiple threads open all with slightly different issues and stories but all really asking about "rights" - or alternatively upset with answers received from travel companies and airlines.

Hope it helps answer questions being raised.