Travelling During an Outbreak – Tips & Tricks

As a global citizen, I am obviously concerned about the impact that the recent virus outbreak has had on the travel industry and by the alarming rate at which the new virus cases have emerged. Maybe it’s media propaganda maybe it is not but one thing to be sure about is that the travel industry is feeling the impact of the new virus outbreak.

As someone who travelled to one of the hot zone countries (South Korea), I feel an obligation to bust some myths and educate fellow travellers on protective and preventative measures. For travellers already on in hot zone countries and cities, I highly recommend following the WHO guidelines and your own local systems.

COVID-19: Everything You Need To Know

The COVID-19 is a new virus from the family of coronaviruses that causes illness from a common cold to severe viruses like SARS. They are zoonotic in nature and are transmitted between animals and humans. COVID-19 is a novel virus that affects the airways and lungs, little is known about this virus as it has not previously been seen in humans.

Just like any virus, there are simple steps that you can take to prevent the spread of the disease or from contracting the disease. Presently, it is not known how COVID-19 is being transferred from one person to another but the current theory is that because it is similar to the common cold, it is transmitted via cough droplets.

The symptoms of the COVID-19 include high temperature, shortness of breath, a cough and other respiratory issues. To prevent the spread of the disease, you’re encouraged to wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap, use sanitiser, don’t touch your face if your hands have not been washed or sanitised. Ensure when coughing and sneezing you do it discreetly to avoid to spread of the disease.

Travelling During An Outbreak

Back in December 2019, a cluster of coronavirus cases was reported to the WHO, at that time there was not much known about the disease. Let’s be honest, not much is known about the disease’s mode of transmission nor cure. No one knew then just how fast this virus would spread and what an impact it would have on the travel industry.

Like most avid travellers, I planned and booked the majority of my trips for 2020 in December 2019. I had not planned to travel during the coronavirus outbreak but now that is has happened a decision has to be made. During my recent trip to the US and then to South Korea, I travelled with the knowledge that if I practised personal hygiene there was little chance of me contracting the disease.

At the time of my trip to South Korea, there were approximately 5 cases and within a few days, there were over 500 cases. I was gobsmacked at how fast the new cases emerged but also not surprised at the same time. South Korea is one of my favourite destinations to visit yearly but I also know personal hygiene in some places is questionable at best.

We went from a handful of cases in a few days of arriving in Seoul to hundreds within a few days. Tourist attractions were closed, flights to China and most of Asia were cancelled and we found ourselves with no plans. We had planned to visit Busan and within a few days, 100s of cases emerged in that region of the country too.

We chose to visit Busan even with an increased number of cases in the city, our main aim was to stay safe in the midst of an outbreak. Personal hygiene practices were heightened, we wore masks and sanitized everything from here to Timbuktu. Travelling around Seoul and Busan was not as bad as the media has made it out to be and unfortunately because of that many places and local attractions were either closed or had reduced service.

Advice that I have for those who choose not to cancel their trips and take the risk is that it’s important to educate yourself on the disease. I recommend;

• Buy masks – unless masks can be washed (cotton masks) don’t assume you can re-wear them as that can actually spread the disease.
• Buy hand sanitizers and wipes – in places where you cant wash your hands with soap, hand sanitizers and wipes are the next best thing.
• Wash your hands with soap – it is recommended to wash your hands for 20 seconds at least.
• Cough and sneeze discreetly – the number of people coughing & sneezing carelessly is shocking. When you cough or sneeze cover your mouth and nose to reduce the spread of the disease.
• If you experience any symptoms (cough, fever, dyspnea) then you are encouraged to ‘call‘ not show up at the hospital and explain your symptoms plus past travels.
• For those who insist on travelling to affected countries please note a 2-week ‘home quarantine’ is advised and should be adhered to, to avoid the spread of the disease.

Travelling around Seoul and Busan during the outbreak was nothing short of interesting, whenever someone sneezed or coughed everyone vacated. We found that most establishments that were still operational demanded you got checked at the door for high temperatures. This was fine if the thermometer was placed on your forehead and not those that were inserted into your ear as this brought up more hygiene issues.

We found that people were washing their hands more frequently, wore masks when in public, coughed and sneezed discreetly and generally practised good hygiene. This is not to say there were places where you wouldn’t be surprised if they said victims were found. I was thankful for the emergency alerts we received daily to inform you of the area where a new case had just been reported and areas where the victim visited. It was weird to get these alerts only in the local language still, you could google translate them.

If you are thinking of travelling right now to a country with a high number of cases like South Korea or Northern Italy then I would recommend you postpone your travel. For those who are already in these areas, avoid crowded places and practise good personal hygiene.

Disclaimer: This post is no way encouraging uninformed travel to hot zones without proper guidance from your local government and education on the virus and how it spreads.