I Was Wrong - COVID 19 is Here to Stay

Last weekend, I posted an article about travelling during the Corona Virus (COVID-19) outbreak. Succinctly put, I mentioned that while I’m not worried about the disease myself, it wasn’t wise to put myself at risk of quarantine. Well, I was wrong and selfish, this is going to be a significant challenge on the Canadian and the US healthcare system.

As I read further on the topic, I edited my article to include two pieces of information that changed my mind rapidly this week. The first one was this post by an Italian doctor in Bergamo, Italy (an English translation was then re-posted on Reddit). It made me more apprehensive about the virus, as it’s scary to think how the hospitals will cope when it does end up spreading through Toronto.

Empty Venice restaurant (Photograph: Manuel Silvestri/Reuters)

Following that article and reading further into the lack of tests being done in both Canada and the US, I also came across this well researched and articulated article by Tomas Pueyo on Medium discussing the infection curve and how we can flatten it. Armed with this new information, I think that all travel should be suspended for the next 5 weeks.

This is only going to get worse, as the World Health Organization outlines that the average case starts to experience symptoms 5-6 days after contracting the virus while the CDC reports, studies are inconclusive about if people who are asymptomatic can spread the disease.

What Can We Do

The world, and Canada, is reacting to control this virus and flatten the curve. Schools are closed, professional sports have ceased, heck, even my dodgeball league has been shut down for the next 3 weeks. We’re already limiting interactions which should, in theory, flatten the curve to allow our hospital system to manage the outbreak. If you’re a Canadian looking for information regarding what do to if you think you have COVID-19, this Macleans article is updated frequently with information. If you reside in Ontario, there is also information posted on the government’s website here. I do hope that they continue to step up the opening of screening areas, like they did in Korea, to help identify cases.

That being said, as this is a travel blog, what can we do with regards to travel? In my opinion, and the Government of Canada, all non-essential international travel should be avoided. In my opinion, all non-essential domestic travel should also be avoided. Points and miles are a great tool to see the world, but this just isn’t the time to be spreading a potential deadly virus.

Travel FAQ:

What if the area doesn’t have COVID-19? No, you could be bringing the virus to a new part of the world, which is especially challenging in less developed economies.

What if I’m young and it won’t be a big deal? You’re right, like I mentioned before, you’re statistically unlikely to die from the disease, but you could still spread it to people at risk. You would have to deal with that for the rest of your life.

But cheap flights? The travel industry will suffer significantly, but it’s more important that you keep safe. Even after the worst of this is over, there will be opportunities for cheap travel, as people are hesitant to return to the skies, that’s when you can take advantage of the opportunities. Even though we don’t know what the future holds, booking flights on the cheap for next Christmas might be an opportunity to save money.

The Point

Understandably, the next few weeks are going to be difficult in Europe and North America, and it’s in my opinion that every human being does their part to stop the disease from spreading. Although this won’t be ideal, it’s something that we will have to go through. During this time, I’ll be catching up by posting reviews from my Whistler trip, posting about some of my past travel experiences, and take a look at some of the changes that I expect to see from the travel industry, including the rise of telecommuting leading to less business travel and the potential bankruptcies of airlines that we might see.