Does Travel Insurance Cover Coronavirus? Understand How It Works In Cases Of Epidemic

After the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, which started in China and spread to several countries around the world, many people with scheduled trips to places where the disease has the highest number of cases are in doubt as to what happens if they contract. this illness during the tour. In this way, it is common to question whether travel insurance covers Coronavirus. 

Importance Of Travel Insurance

First, before talking about how travel insurance works in case of coronavirus, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of purchasing this product before starting your tour.

Can you imagine if when you arrive at your destination you receive the news that your luggage has been lost ? Or do you end up needing emergency medical care abroad? These are examples of situations where travel insurance provides coverage, as described in the policy. In this way, you complete your itinerary more peacefully and safely. 

Does travel insurance cover epidemic/pandemic?

First of all, it is necessary to understand that the coverage or not of a spreading disease depends on whether it is considered an epidemic or a pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organization). The positioning of the entity is crucial to know if there is the possibility of protection by insurers.

When the WHO classifies the disease as an epidemic in a given country, travel insurance is not required to cover treatment for the traveller. If the classification is a pandemic, which basically means that the disease is spreading around the world with sustained human-to-human transmission, there should be no coverage anywhere on the planet.

Excluded risks 

This is because epidemic and pandemic are considered risks excluded from travel insurance. In other words, the policy itself will state that certain types of situations, in which these two are included, the insurer will not be responsible for the treatment, reimbursement or compensation for the traveler.  

Does travel insurance cover coronavirus? 

But what about the specific case of Covid-19? Does travel insurance cover coronavirus or not? It is important to note that on the 11/03th, the WHO classified the virus as a pandemic. That is, the so-called community transmission already exists in different countries and continents on the planet.

With this WHO decision, the coronavirus, having the status of a pandemic, becomes a risk excluded from travel insurance. In this way, insurers are not obliged to cover treatment for the traveler who contracts the virus and manifests Covid-19. 

However, when purchasing travel insurance, the ideal is to consult the broker specifically about the disease. This is because some insurers may make an exception and guarantee coverage, including for treatment in case of symptoms linked to Covid-19, the disease caused by the Coronavirus. 

Should I cancel my scheduled trip because of the Coronavirus?

Before making any decision, the ideal is to find out what the guidelines of the destination country are. With the situation of accelerated transmission occurring in some countries, changes can occur in a matter of days and even hours. Some nations may restrict the entry and exit of people from their territory, for example, which could be a very complicated situation during your trip.  

Also, you need to check the flight status if you are planning to travel by plane. With cases of coronavirus spreading around the world, some airlines are canceling flights to places where Covid-19 is on the rise and with a higher concentration of cases.  

An important recommendation is not to travel if you are sick or if you have symptoms that could be from the Coronavirus. In addition to preserving yourself, it is important to avoid possible contagion to other people as well.   

Therefore, the tip is to pay attention to information from official bodies in each country and, of course, to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health and the WHO. After all, it is a delicate situation that requires care on the part of all people.   

How is the Coronavirus transmitted? 

Coronavirus is transmitted through contact by secretions. That is, a contaminated person can pass to others through drops of saliva or phlegm, for example. In this way, sneezing and coughing, among other forms of infection, can already carry particles with the virus with them. Therefore, close personal contact, such as shaking hands with an infected person, can already cause transmission. 

Contact with contaminated objects or surfaces, when followed by contact with mucous membranes such as the mouth, nose and eyes, can also infect the person.

Ways To Prevent Coronavirus

With the Coronavirus spreading, it is necessary for everyone to do what they can to prevent it. According to the Secretary of Health of the State of São Paulo and the Ministry of Health, the main guidelines to protect yourself from Covid-19 are as follows:

• – Cover mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing;
• – Use disposable handkerchief to perform nasal hygiene;
• – Avoid touching the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and mouth;
• – Do not share objects of personal use;
• – Regularly clean the environment and keep it ventilated;
• – Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer (known as alcohol gel);
• – Displacements/travels should not be carried out while the person is sick;
• – Avoid agglomerations if you are sick;
• – Keep the environments well ventilated;
• – Anyone who travels to places with circulation of the virus must avoid contact with sick people, animals (live or dead), in addition to avoiding circulation in animal markets and their products.

Do you have any questions related to how travel insurance works in cases of coronavirus? Send us your question through the comments below.