Skip to main content

Information for travellers

1. Should I reconsider travelling to Asia at present, privately or for business?

At present, most cases are being reported in China, with a smaller number of cases reported in certain other Asian countries. The likelihood of becoming infected in other countries across Asia is currently considered low and the World Health Organization has not advised against travel to these areas. However, the outbreak is evolving very rapidly and the risk of infection is therefore changing. (See the list of areas with presumed community transmission). Follow the travel advice provided by public health authorities in your country of residence.

2. What should I be most cautious of when travelling abroad, including trips to China?

When visiting China you should: 
  • avoid contact with sick people, in particular those with a cough; 
  • avoid visiting markets and places where live or dead animals are handled; 
  • follow general rules concerning hand hygiene and food hygiene;  
  • wash your hands with soap and water OR use an alcohol-based disinfectant solution before eating, after using the toilet and after any contact with animals; 
  • avoid contact with animals, their excretions or droppings. 
Wherever you travel, you should apply general hand hygiene and food hygiene rules.



Data

Advice for travellers: outbreak of a novel coronavirus 2019-nCoV

Brochure - 

3. What if I have recently been to China and have become ill?

If you have been to China and within 14 days of your return you feel sick or have a fever, cough, or experience shortness of breath, you should: 
  • Seek immediate medical attention. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call them and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms. 
  • Avoid contact with others. 
  • Ensure you do not travel while sick. 
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. If you have easy access to surgical face masks, use one, and dispose of it safely after use. Remember to wash your hands after disposing of a mask. 
  • Follow appropriate disinfection/hand washing rules to avoid spreading the virus to others.

4. What about on a plane or in an airport?

If it is established that a COVID-19 case has been on an airplane, the people who were at risk will be contacted by public health authorities.  Should you have questions about a flight you have taken, please contact your local health authority for advice. The risk of being infected on an airplane cannot be excluded, but is currently considered to be low for an individual traveller.   
The risk of being infected in an airport is similar to that for any other place where many people gather.

5. Why are people arriving from China not being checked for COVID-19 at the airport?

There is evidence that checking people at the airport (known as entry screening) is not very effective in preventing the spread of the virus, especially when people may not be presenting symptoms or the symptoms of the disease are very similar to those for other illnesses and the timeline coincides with increased activity in seasonal influenza across the EU and in China. It is generally considered more useful to provide those arriving at airports with clear information explaining what to do if they develop symptoms after arrival.

credits: to the owner https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/novel-coronavirus-china/questions-answers

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Coronavirus in South Korea: Outbreak, measures and impact

South Korea has been witnessing a surge in coronavirus transmissions since 19 February, within a month of reporting the first case. The cases increased multi-fold on 21 February, the majority of them being reported in the city of Daegu. On 22 February, 229 more cases have been reported, the majority being in Gyeong-buk province. The increase was due to community spread, traced to a church in Shincheonji, alarming the Korean health authorities. Singapore too is facing a similar surge in community spread of the novel coronavirus (nCoV). Contact tracing also hinted of transmission linked to Cheongdo Daenam hospital where coronavirus cases are being tested and treated. South Korea Covid-19 cases: Trend northward When did coronavirus reach South Korea? The National IHR Focal Point (NFP) for the Republic of Korea reported the first coronavirus case in South Korea on 20 January 2020. The patient was a 35-year-old Chinese woman who arrived at the Incheon international airpor...

65 more diagnosed with nCoV on Japan cruise ship; total of known cases now 135

TOKYO — Another 65 people aboard the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship moored off Japan have been diagnosed with novel coronavirus, the health ministry said Monday, bringing the total number of known infections to 135. The Diamond Princess has been in quarantine since arriving off the Japanese coast early last week after the virus was detected in a former passenger who got off the ship last month in Hong Kong. "Test results from 103 people have now come out and 65 of them are confirmed positive for the new coronavirus," the ministry said in a statement without giving further details such as their nationalities. Authorities have continued to test people for the virus where "necessary," the statement added. The cruise ship operator said 66 people had been newly diagnosed, mostly Japanese, but there were also Australians, Filipinos and a Canadian, a Brit and a Ukrainian. There was no immediate clarity on the discrepancy between that figure an...

Headlines

Today officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned that although the agency is taking historic measures to slow the introduction of COVID-19 into the United States, the country should prepare for the possibility of community spread, as seen in China and neighboring Asian countries. "The day may come when we may need to implement such measures as seen in Asia," Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a press conference, referencing the closing of businesses, schools, and churches in multiple countries where transmission is now occurring within the community. Repatriated Diamond Princess passengers The remarks were made just one day after 14 American passengers who tested positive for the virus and were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan were flown to the US for further medical treatment, on chartered flights with healthy passengers.  A total o...