Coronavirus – Will it Affect Your Dive Travel Plans?

In mid-February, diver Saeed Rashid went to his doctor in southern England with an irritating cough. When he explained he'd just returned from running an underwater photography course in Lembeh, Indonesia and flown home via Singapore, he was immediately sent to a special unit in his local hospital where he was met by people in HazMat suits and tested for coronavirus. Told to self-quarantine, he was sent home. Days later, similarly dressed medics arrived to tell him he'd tested negative. It was typical of similar stories now occurring throughout the Western World, though not everyone gets good news.

This novel corona virus, officially called SARS-CoV-2 by WHO, the World Health Organization - WHO has labelled the resultant the disease COVID-19 -- has spread to 58 or more countries besides China, where it originated. Many small island nations where we divers visit have limited resources and would encounter great difficulty coping medically with such an outbreak, so some, like Micronesia, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands have taken precautions by banning entry by anyone from China, and, some cases, anyone in who visited a country with such where an infection as occurred within 14 days.

For example, Micronesia has banned travelers from the UK and the Solomon Islands says it immediately quarantines UK travelers. It's hard to imagine such a ban on American travelers, but just a few weeks ago any ban was unmanageable.

Officials from many countries advise against travel through Singapore, a busy hub for international travel through Asia. It's a similar story for Hong Kong. And in Japan, the island of Hokkaido has declared a state of emergency, with other countries imposing a strict quarantine for travellers from there.(1)

(1) https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/28/national/hokkaido-emergency-coronavirus/#.Xlv_2ShKg2w

A current list of those countries with confirmed cases and deaths attributed to COVID-19 disease can be found here: https://tinyurl.com/wl8kbzw

Divers Affected

Of course, many divers have prepaid expensive trips to many Indo-Pacific destinations. Subscriber Tom Baker wrote to us February 27, trying to decide whether to leave the following week for a prepaid liveaboard trip to Raja Ampat, only to be informed that Cathay Pacific cancelled his flight from Hong Kong to Jakarta, leaving him no way to get there in time to embark. He'll get an airline refund, but says the insurance policy will not cover the liveaboard costs. Hopefully, he can reschedule some time.

Bradley Dunbaugh (Santa Cruz, CA) wrote to Undercurrent to say that the itinerary for his Master liveaboard between the Solomon Islands and PNG has been altered to encompass the Solomons only, since the PNG destination ports are closed. Master Liveaboards, so far, has only offered a letter that can be provided to travel insurance companies for those of its customers who wish to cancel the trip but, unfortunately, Bradley's travel insurance company, World Nomads, is stipulating that this change is not covered by his policy.

Mark Shandur of WWDS and Master Liveaboards tells Undercurrent that PNG is limited to a single port of entry, Port Moresby, where medical examinations of passengers and crew take place and so the Solomons/PNG itinerary has been postponed. Master operations in Truk have been suspended because visitors to the Federated States of Micronesia are required to have spent 14 days in a country that has no incidence of the virus, which equates, at the moment, to laying over in Guam for a fortnight.

Of course, the tight confines of a liveaboard is another petri dish for any virus or bacteria, as we noted in our article last month about when a cabin-mate gets sick. Prof Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases specialist at the Australian National University, says "There is an increased risk of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases on ships. In general, you've got passengers and crew members from different parts of the world mixing intimately and intensely for a short period of time. They've all got varying levels of immunity and so that does set things up for an infection outbreak." (BBC).

The recent experiences on the Diamond Princess cruise ship with an outbreak of COVID-19 are sobering: 10 initial cases of coronavirus disease on February 3rd led to 619 cases 2 ½ weeks later. (2) Suffice to say that shipboard living provides a good example of an infectious disease incubator.

One liveaboard company, Nautilus Adventures, is addressing the problem. In a message to divers expecting to travel on its Socorro-bound craft, they have said '"A medical professional from a local hospital is attending our SeeCreatures dive centre to complete a medical assessment for all embarking guests and crew. We will be offering a complimentary makeup trip and local hotel stay at our expense for any guests with a fever over 100.4°F."

(2) https://academic.oup.com/jtm/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jtm/taaa030/5766334

So, What to Do?

Perhaps the first thing to think about before traveling is your age and health. The death rate is 3.4% and evidence indicates that death from COVID-19 infections is age-related. Death rates from China show an increase in every age category of those 40 and older, with exponential increases in those in their 60s, 70s, and 80s and older.(3)

(3) https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-age-sex-demographics/

It has 93,160 confirmed cases as of March 4th in a world of 7.8 billion, but keep in mind that it is not lurking in every corner. For now, the risk is considerably lessened if you're staying close to home.

But, if you are considering embarking on dive trip, there is much to think about. Consider this list.

1. Someone who has been exposed can travel up to 14 days before being symptomatic, but will be an active carrier and virus spreader. The incubation period could be much longer (one source mentions 27 days) so this guidance could change.(4) So officials will always behind the curve in predictions about destinations and you can unwittingly enter areas that are contaminated that have not been discovered.

   (4) https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/coronavirus-incubation-period-27-days/

2. If you get the virus in a foreign country, you will be treated in their health system and remain under the laws of that country. You can presume that all your traveling companions will be required to remain.

3. If you don't get the virus and are still subject to quarantine, you will have a long, anxious wait, perhaps as much as two weeks without going anywhere.

4. With daily news about the spread of the virus worldwide, traveling during this period with so much unknown about the virus and where it will erupt could shroud your holiday in great anxiety.

5. Once you arrive at a destination, you may be concerned about leaving your quarters, going to restaurants and touring, and decide to curtail your activities. You may feel obligated to avoid every Asian/Italian/Iranian you encounter in airports, towns and resorts and dodge their presence. If you're one to worry about such things, you will not have a fun trip.

6. Booking a trip a few weeks or more before your departure sends you into entirely unpredictable circumstances.

7. Your travel insurance, unless it is cancel-for-any-reason insurance, will probably not cover your trip. Most other travel insurance policies will not cover you if cancel because you are fearful of the disease; they only if there are official actions by nations, airlines trip providers and hotels. And the policies differ so broadly, that the extent to which you are covered may be very limited. Cancel-for-any-reason insurance will cost up to twice the amount of a standard policy and usually covers about 75% of the expenses.

8. If you have made flight plans and decide to cancel, you can rebook your ticket within a year (with a penalty fee); some hotel and tour operators may give you credit, but for the most part you will lose what you have paid and have no vacation.

9. You have more information to decide about an April trip than you do a July trip, or a December trip. Will those months be any better for a dive trip? Today, your guess is as good as anyone's.

Bottom Line

The adventurous traveler should certainly take the risk of contracting the virus seriously, but there is no need to panic. Consider the reward of travel, the potential risk of your destination and decide whether the information you have makes you and your traveling companion comfortable enough to travel. If you decide to depart, take all the proper precautions and don't look back. Enjoy your diving.

Finally, this worldwide coronavirus outbreak is still evolving, and health advisory and travel information may change. The best way stay informed with accurate health guidance is to be attuned to information available from your state health department(5), CDC(6), and the WHO(7).

- Ben Davidson

(5) For example, see: https://www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/index.html

(6) http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

(7) http://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus