Coronavirus travel explained: Where you can and can’t go

Australians should not travel to China and should be very careful in South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong as coronavirus sweeps the world.

The deadly flu-like infection – which spawned in Wuhan, China in December – has already claimed more than 2,500 lives globally and infected 22 people in Australia. 

The mass outbreak has prompted the government to introduce a ban on direct flights from China to Australia.

The government has also told Australians not to travel to China at all.

Australians should not travel to China and should be very careful in South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong as coronavirus sweeps the world

‘We continue to advise Australians to not travel to China due to the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak,’ an update on the government’s travel website says.

Offering advice to any Australians in the infection zone, the website says: ‘If you are currently in China, leave as soon as possible by commercial means.’

Because flights to Australia are cancelled, anyone who wants to fly from China will have to travel to a third country and wait there for 14 days before travelling to Australia. 

Fourteen days is thought to be the maximum period that coronavirus can be present in a person before they show symptoms. 

The government also advises travellers to exercise a high degree of caution in South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan which have all had cases of the coronavirus.

South Korea has had 893 confirmed cases of the virus, mostly stemming from a Catholic church group in Daegu in the country’s south.

The Australian government has issued a ‘reconsider your need to travel’ notice for that city and also the city of Cheongdo.

‘We now also advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Daegu and Cheongdo due to significant outbreaks of COVID-19 in those cities,’ the government website says.

Tourists wearing face masks walk across St Mark's Square in Venice today, with the city's carnival derailed by the outbreak

Tourists wearing face masks walk across St Mark’s Square in Venice today, with the city’s carnival derailed by the outbreak 

Japan has had 159 confirmed cases of the virus, many from cruise ship Diamond Princess which is docked at Yokohama. 

Hong Kong has suffered 81 confirmed cases and has shut its border with mainland China. 

The Australian government says Aussies should take care when travelling to these areas by closely monitoring their health. 

Despite recent outbreaks, Italy is still safe to travel to, according to DFAT.

Italy has 229 confirmed cases of coronavirus, including deaths. 

Authorities have introduced measures to restrict the use of public spaces and limit travel in some parts of northern Italy where cases have occurred.

On Monday the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned the world must prepare for a potential coronavirus pandemic.

Tedros Ghebreyesus said the spread of the virus around the world is not yet at pandemic stage but acknowledged it has the potential to become one.

Seven people have died and 229 have been infected in Italy (central Milan yesterday), which is firefighting Europe's first major outbreak

Seven people have died and 229 have been infected in Italy (central Milan yesterday), which is firefighting Europe’s first major outbreak

The WHO no longer uses an official scale to declare a pandemic, although spokeswoman Margaret Harris said it will start to use the term in communications if it believes a pandemic is reached.

Speaking in Geneva, Dr Ghebreyesus said the focus must still be on containing the virus in individual countries, adding that the world is not yet seeing ‘large-scale severe disease or death’.

He said the WHO was ‘encouraged by the continued decline in cases in China’, though more 77,362 cases have been declared there, including 2,618 deaths.

A specialist team sent to China found that the epidemic peaked and plateaued between January 23 and February 2, and has since been declining steadily, he said.

Dr Ghebreyesus said the death rate is between 2 per cent and 4 per cent in Wuhan city, where the virus originated, and 0.7 per cent outside Wuhan.

How to minimise infection risk

Avoid all high-risk areas such as farms, live animal markets, and areas where animals are slaughtered, including fish and seafood 

Avoid contact with animals (alive or dead), including pigs, chickens, ducks and wild birds – surfaces with animal droppings or secretions on them

If you come into contact with any animals or animal products, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth until you have thoroughly sanitised your hands. 

Wash your hands often with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitiser, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet 

Avoid contact with others (touching, kissing, hugging, and other intimate contact), especially if they are sick 

Monitor your health closely. 

If you develop symptoms (fever, a cough, sore throat, tiredness or shortness of breath), you should arrange to see a doctor for an urgent assessment Follow the advice of local authorities 

Contact your airline or travel company for information about changes to flight services 

You do not need to wear a face mask if you are well. 

Surgical masks in the community are only helpful in preventing people who are infected with coronavirus from spreading it to others. 

However, if you are travelling in an affected country, you must follow the advice of local authorities

Source: Smarttraveller 

 

  

 

 

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