Comment: Why I'm still travelling to Northern Italy during coronavirus outbreak

Herald reporter Melissa Nightingale says she is still planning togoing through with her trip to Northern Italy in April. Photo / 123rf

COMMENT:

I've booked a trip to Northern Italy, and I'm still planning to take it - despite the fact it's the centre of the biggest coronavirus outbreak outside Asia.

I've agonised over what I should do, what's the ethical decision, and whether it's wrong of me to go on a holiday with full knowledge I'll have to take extra time off work at the end.

Everything is already booked and paid for, and because of my circumstances, it won't be possible for me to postpone the trip. It's go now, or lose the money.

On top of this, it may be the last chance I have to go on this dream holiday to Italy with my husband before we have kids.

We're not swimming in cash, so throwing my hands up and accepting I've lost all the non-refundable money I've already paid is not really an option.

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I've asked for advice on social media, and the responses have been mixed, but most are on the side of still going.

"You'll regret it if you don't go," seems to be the gist of it.

"You might die," said someone else. Balance and all that.

I'm young and healthy, and I don't have any underlying health conditions that could compromise my immune system.

I'm aware this might come across as selfish, but let's put things in perspective. I could catch the flu at home and spread that, too. While it's true the flu and coronavirus are different and the latter's mortality rate is higher, the vast majority of people coming into contact with the virus aren't going to have any more than a mild case of it.

A health worker screens the temperature of a passenger arriving from Italy at Debrecen International Airport in Debrecen, Hungary. File photo / Akos Stiller, Bloomberg

Tourism in Italy is also already taking a hit, meaning many people will struggle financially as more and more travellers avoid heading there.

We can't all put our lives on hold and – for some of us – throw away thousands of dollars in fear of it.

The first I became aware of the outbreak in Italy was when a message popped up on my screen from my mum.

"Mama is worried about your travel plans to Italy. Did you book comprehensive travel insurance when you made your bookings? Please say yes."

I reassured her, said I had travel insurance but either way wasn't too worried.

Ha, fool. I should have known it wouldn't be that simple.

Within just a couple of days the number of cases of the virus in Northern Italy had leaped, and before I knew it, our government was placing restrictions on people travelling from the area.

It was a rude awakening to discover most travel insurance companies won't cover cancellations because of coronavirus. I scoured my policy wording and felt my heart drop as I read the clause stating costs arising from an epidemic, pandemic or outbreak of contagious disease or virus won't be covered.

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As coronavirus and the fear around it spreads, I've seen two distinct takes emerging. The first is that the media are scaremongering and there's nothing to worry about. The second is you're literally the devil if you decide to travel at a time like this.

You only have to look at the abuse suffered by a family in coronavirus isolation to get a feel for what the public thinks of travellers right now.

So it's with a healthy sense of trepidation I say I'm still going through with my trip to Northern Italy in April.

Here's some of what we know about the virus:

More than 100,000 cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed worldwide, and at the time of writing, four have been confirmed in New Zealand. There have been more than 3000 deaths, and 53,000 recoveries.

Like the flu, symptoms include fever, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea.

It's believed it may be spread by droplets from coughing and sneezing, and the best known way to combat catching it is to regularly and thoroughly wash your hands.

So my husband and I will still be going, assuming a full-on travel ban hasn't been put in place by then.

We'll wash our hands, try not to touch our faces, and when we get home we'll shut ourselves away and cough into our elbows.

The world will probably go on in the meantime.