03/03/2020
What business travelers need to know about novel coronavirus???
The World Health Organization (WHO) is encouraging travelers exhibiting symptoms suggestive of acute respiratory illness before, during or after travel, to seek medical attention and share travel history with their health care provider as soon as possible.
Know before you go
Check out these suggested resources for more information on traveling to and from China.
Government of Canada health notices
General information about new coronavirus from the Government of Mexico
Novel coronavirus FAQs and toolkit from the Republic of South Africa
United Kingdom government website
U.S. Centers for Disease Control
Travel and safety instructions from the German Federal Foreign Office
United Nations special coverage web page for coronavirus global health emergency
World Health Organization (WHO)
Business travelers should check with their travel consultant or booking channel for specific information on flight restrictions or cancellations.
As COVID-19 remains a public health emergency of international concern, we continue to monitor the situation closely. Here’s a roundup of recent developments on Feb. 26, 2020.
Latest developments
South Korea spike: the country saw a sudden spike in confirmed cases last week. The cases are now close to 900 with eight deaths reported. Around half the total cases are associated with a branch of a religious group in the south of the country. The South Korean government has raised its alert on the coronavirus to the highest level on Sunday (Feb 23). The escalation in the alert level also enables the government to forcibly prevent public activities and order the temporary closure of schools.
Japan spike: the country also saw a jump in the number of land cases. The tally stands at 159 confirmed cases.
Biggest outbreak in Europe: the total of confirmed cases in Italy has risen from three to 229. Seven deaths are recorded. Several towns in the regions of Lombardy and Veneto are on shutdown.
Middle East spread: Iran’s health ministry has confirmed 61 cases of the virus, including 12 deaths. Afghanistan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait and Oman have all reported confirmed cases.
Below is a summary of the new measures or advisories announced over the week to curtail the spread of the virus:
Afghanistan: closed all land borders with Iran.
Armenia: closed all land borders with Iran.
Australia: extended coronavirus ban on travel from China till Feb. 29. The country also advises its citizens to ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ in South Korea due to the heightened risk of sustained local transmission of coronavirus and to reconsider their need to travel to Daegu and Cheongdo due to significant outbreaks of COVID-19 in those cities.
Bahrain: bans foreign nationals who have visited Japan or South Korea 14 days prior to their arrival.
Canada: issued an advisory requesting its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution in South Korea due to the spread of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Croatia: the Croatian Foreign Affairs ministry also updated its travel advisory, advising its nationals to avoid visiting the northern Italian regions of Veneto and Lombardy.
Hong Kong: non-Hong Kong residents travelling from South Korea and those who have been to the country in the past 14 days will be barred from entering Hong Kong. Returning citizens must quarantine for 14 days if they have been in the country’s two most infected areas. Citizens are also advised not to travel to South Korea.
India: issued an advisory urging its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore.
Indonesia: the Foreign Ministry has issued a travel advisory for South Korea urging its citizens to avoid travel to Daegu and Gyeongsang Bukdo, the two regions with the highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in South Korea. The South Korean government has declared them “Special Care Zones”.
Israel: bans all foreign nationals who have been to Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand in the past 14 days from entering the country. Also recommends citizens not to visit South Korea and for those currently in South Korea to consider leaving the country immediately. In the latest move, the country is also barring all flights from Japan and South Korea.
Jordan: bars citizens of China, Iran and South Korea and other foreigners travelling from these countries.
Malta: all passengers arriving on the island would be checked with thermal scanners.
New Zealand: extended the ban all foreigners who visited or transited through mainland China in the past 14 days for another eight days. This means the ban will be in place at least till Mar. 3, 2020. The ban excludes arrivals from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. The country also issued an advisory asking its citizens to ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ in South Korea due to the heightened risk of sustained local transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and to delay non-essential travel to Daegu and Cheongdo.
Netherlands: the Foreign Ministry reminds travelers to be “extra alert” when travelling to Italy.
Pakistan: closed all land borders with Iran.
Philippines: cautioned citizens to delay non-essential travel to South Korea.
Qatar: all incoming passengers from Iran and South Korea whose final destination is Doha and are showing no symptoms of the Novel Coronavirus will be asked to stay in home isolation or a quarantine facility for 14 days. Passengers arriving from those countries who are showing symptoms will be transferred to the Communicable Disease Centre at the Hamad Medical Corporation.
Romania: all Italian nationals from Italian regions where cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed will be quarantined for 14 days.
Russia: temporarily bans Chinese citizens from entry to Russia from Feb. 20. The suspension will be for Chinese citizens entering Russia for employment, private, educational and tourist purposes.
Singapore: The Ministry of Health advised Singaporeans to defer non-essential travel to South Korean cities affected by COVID-19.
Slovenia: all travellers arriving from Italy would be monitored.
Taiwan: raised the travel advisories for Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea to level-2 alerts, as the number of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the two countries surged. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said that travelers visiting the two countries should take preventive action against infections and monitor their health for 14 days upon return.
Turkey: closed borders with Iran and flights are suspended.
UAE: Emirati citizens banned from travel to Iran and Thailand over coronavirus disease (COVID-19) concerns as of February 24.
United Kingdom: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all but essential travel to Daegu and Cheongdo due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
United States: raised its travel advisory for South Korea, urging travelers to exercise increased caution amid the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The travel advisory has been raised from Level 1 to Level 2, which calls for exercising “increased caution” as opposed to “normal precautions.”
Airline updates
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, many airlines have altered their flight frequencies and capacity to correspond to the current low demand. In addition, with the latest surge in cases outside of China, some airlines have also started refund/rebooking initiatives. Below is a summary of the latest announcements by the respective airlines.
Aerofloat: flights to Guangzhou and Hong Kong has been reduced till Mar.29; flights to Shanghai and Beijing has been suspended till Mar.29.
AirAsia X (XJ): will waive flight alteration fees and offers credit account redemption for passengers traveling between Bangkok and Seoul, South Korea as well as the Japanese destinations Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Nagoya and Fukuoka in light of health advisories related to the COVID-19 virus. The offer is applicable to bookings with Thai AirAsia X prior to Feb. 20 and for travel until Mar. 31, 2020.
Air Busan: suspends flights for Daegu-Jeju route from Mar. 1-28, 2020. It’ll also temporarily suspend flights between Daegu and Taipei.
Air China: some flights to Italy, Singapore and the United States were suspended from Feb. 6 through Mar.28; Chengdu to Frankfurt will be reopened from Feb.28.
American Airlines: customers booked to Seoul through Apr. 24 can change their flights without paying a date-change fee, or they can cancel the trip altogether.
Asiana Airlines: flights for Daegu-Jeju route are suspended from Feb. 25- Mar. 9.
Bamboo Airways: the Vietnamese carrier suspended all flights to and from South Korea from Feb. 26 till further notice.
British Airways: all flights to and from mainland China are suspended until Apr.17.
China Eastern Airlines: some flight to Italy, Singapore and the United States were suspended from Feb. 6 through Mar.28. Some flight will begin to operate again from end of February.
Delta Air Lines: travelers who booked tickets to the South Korean capital of Seoul through Apr. 30 can change flights until May 31 or cancel their trips without any fees.
Egypt Air: Flights to and from China will resume on Feb. 27. The airline previously announced indefinite suspension of flights to China. The airline connects to Beijing, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.
Emirates: plans to reduce Dubai-Hong Kong frequency from three times to once daily, effective from Mar. 1- 31, 2020. The carrier plans to operate the route with Boeing 777-300ER instead of A380 equipment during this period.
Hainan Airlines: China plans to take over HNA Group Co and sell off its airline assets, as the coronavirus outbreak has hit the Chinese conglomerate’s ability to meet financial obligations. The government of Hainan, the southern province where HNA is based, is in talks to take control of the conglomerate according to a Bloomberg report. HNA directly controls or holds stakes in a number of local carriers, including its flagship Hainan Airlines. The company has in recent weeks come under pressure from the new coronavirus outbreak in China which has forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights.
Korean Air: some flights are suspended from Feb.2 to Mar.28. The airlines already cancelled all flights to and from Beijing from Feb.2 – 22. In addition, flights between Incheon-Daegu and Jeu-Daegu are suspended from Feb. 25 to Mar.28.
Qantas: the airline announced a major reduction in flights to Asia as the deadly coronavirus outbreak that began in China impacts demand and eats into profits. The carrier will cut flights to Asia by 16 per cent for at least three months, with flights to Shanghai suspended and those to Hong Kong and Singapore reduced. Its low-cost brand, Jetstar, would likewise reduce its Asia flights by 14 per cent until the end of May, impacting routes to Japan, Thailand and mainland China.
Qatar Airways: flights to Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are suspended till Mar.15. Flights to Hangzhou and Chengdu and Chongqing are. suspended till Mar.31.
Turkish Airlines: some flights are suspended till Mar.31. The airline announced earlier that frequency on scheduled flights to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xi’an between Feb. 5 and Feb. 29 will be reduced.
United Airlines: customers booked to Seoul through Apr. 24 can change their flights without paying a date-change fee, or they can cancel the trip altogether.
The information in this post is accurate as of Feb. 25 and is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. BCD Travel does not provide advice or recommendations on the prudence of travel to an affected destination. However, we seek to provide pertinent information, allowing companies and travelers to make informed decisions regarding business travel. As the situation remains fluid, we recommend you follow the latest development via trusted news sources.
