Travel and the Coronavirus

I have a cold which makes it very uncomfortable to travel by air. Now with the coronavirus outbreak in China which is spreading all over Asia, the major airports are on alert. I can remember when I traveled to China before during the Avian flu outbreak, there were people in the airport with a hand held device that looked similar to a policeman's radar detector. The device was pointed at my forehead and since I didn't have a fever, I was allowed to pass through.

Image by Johannes Plenio from Pixabay

The coronavirus is spreading very quickly with a couple of confirmed cases already in the United States and several others being watched. I was in the middle of finalizing plans for a trip to Singapore next month when the news of the outbreak hit international news. Needless to say, I am not going to Singapore now. I can't afford to get exposed, get quarantined and get stuck in a foreign country. If I were traveling on business and it was absolutely necessary, then that would be another matter.

I believe that I am going to wait a while before I travel abroad again. The world has become a global marketplace with people from every country traveling around the world daily. I am not a scary traveler but I do believe in being careful and not taking unnecessary chances with my health. I have already paid for a cruise at the end of next month, but it is a Carribean cruise.
I will be staying alert to future outbreaks. Hopefully, things will be contained by then. If not, I may not be going on my cruise either.

I wonder how this epidemic will affect countries that are heavily dependent on tourism for survival. As for me, I will be staying home for a while until more is known and the epidemic is under control.

Enjoy your evening.