Updated Jan. 31 9:21am ET
Total confirmed coronavirus cases in China has reached 9,658; deaths now at 213. Total confirmed cases outside of China have now reached 118.
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The largest business travel market in the world is becoming increasingly
isolated as companies like Alphabet, Apple, Facebook and LG suspend operations
in China and restrict business travel as the novel coronavirus outbreak further
grips the country. South Korea's LG has banned business travel to the country
outright, according to reporting from The
Verge. As the spread of the virus accelerates within China and to 21
other countries, the World Health Organization declared a global health
emergency. Corporate travel policies undoubtedly will respond in kind to the
threat to business travelers.
The most
current information available on Jan. 30 put confirmed novel coronavirus
cases at 8,124 in China, with 170 deaths from the disease. Countries outside of
China have reported a total of 111 confirmed cases of the virus (see sidebar),
which originated in China's Hubei province where it jumped from livestock to a
human host in the city of Wuhan.
Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Outside China, as of Jan. 30
- Thailand:
14
- Japan:
11
- Hong
Kong: 10
- Singapore:
10
- Australia:
9
- Taiwan:
9
- Malaysia:
8
- Macau:
7
- France:
5
- United
States: 5
- Germany:
4
- South
Korea: 4
- United
Arab Emirates: 4
- Canada:
3
- Vietnam:
2
- Cambodia:
1
- Finland:
1
- India:
1
- Nepal:
1
- Philippines:
1
- Sri
Lanka: 1
Source: Johns Hopkins University
Click thru the link for the most current information
For restaurant chain Domino's, travel to China, including Hong
Kong, can only be booked with Domino's leadership approval and through the
company's dedicated TMC, travel and events manager Becky Kalucki said in an
email to BTN. Kalucki has disabled China itineraries on the corporate online
booking tool and has implemented messaging that will direct those attempting to
book such travel either to corporate leadership or to Kalucki herself for a
determination.
"We've had only a handful of travelers who recently returned
from, or have upcoming plans for, travel to China," Kalucki said.
"For those who recently traveled, they took necessary precautions and
followed all safety protocols to ensure their personal health while travelling.
Thankfully, they were not affected.
"For those with upcoming trips already scheduled, we have
asked that they postpone their travel to China until further notice," she
continued. "We anticipate changes in our response as the World Health
Organization, Center for Disease Control and the U.S. government [issue
further] recommendations."
Advice from Risk Experts
Domino's has the right approach, according to three corporate
travel risk specialists who spoke to BTN.
Their recommendations were fairly straightforward, and in
alignment with the WHO, CDC and State Department.
"No non-essential travel to mainland China and no travel at
all to the epicenter of the outbreak in Hubei province," said AIG Travel
global medical director William Spangler. Riskline Eurasia operations manager
Emanuele Scansani echoed that statement, as did Healix International chief
medical officer Adrian Hyzler.
"Travelers should rethink their need to travel to China. If
they can postpone, they should," said Scansani.
"We are advising clients to suspend travel to China, not
least because they could get stranded there, given the dynamics of the
situation," said Hyzler. That takes into account China's response in
locking down certain regions, as well as the dwindling options for commercial
transportation into and out of the region.
China Increasingly Isolated
Regardless of corporate policies and online booking restrictions
in place, corporate travel to China may not be possible for some companies, at
least for the short term.
Airlines are restricting lift to the mainland (see sidebar, updated on Jan. 30), some through March. British Airways and Lufthansa
(including Swiss and Austrian) have suspended all flights to mainland China,
the former until Jan. 31 as it assesses the situation further and the latter
through Feb. 9. United has suspended 24 flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and
Shanghai from Feb. 1 to Feb. 8, while American Airlines has suspended flights
out of Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai from Feb. 9 through Mar. 27. Cathay
Pacific will progressively reduce its lift into China by 50 percent through the
end of March.
Airlines with Altered & Suspended Schedules to China
- Air
Canada – Canceling select flights to China.
- Air
France - KLM – Suspending all flights to mainland China through Feb. 9.
- Air
India – Canceling its Mumbai-Delhi-Shanghai flight from Jan. 31 to Feb.
14.
- Air
Seoul – Suspended all flights to China.
- Air
Tanzania – Postponed its new route to China, which had been scheduled to
begin in February.
- American
Airlines – Suspended Los Angeles to Beijing and Shanghai from Feb. 9 through
Mar. 27.
- British
Airways – Suspended all direct flights to and from China through Jan. 31
and pending an assessment.
- Cathay
Pacific – Progressively reducing capacity to China by 50 percent through
March.
- Finnair
– Suspended flights to Nanjing and Beijing through March.
- Lion
Air – Suspending all flights to China starting in February.
- Lufthansa
(including Swiss and Austrian Airlines) – Suspended through Feb. 9.
- United
Airlines – Suspended 24 flights to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between
Feb. 1 and Feb. 8.
Sources: Reuters, individual airline websites
At the same time, many hotel companies have eased cancellation
penalties in the region for inbound travelers, and more broadly for Chinese
citizens who are now under a government-implemented group travel ban. Accor,
Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group and Marriott each have issued such
announcements. More locally, Trip.com Group, the parent company of CTrip,
Skyscanner and Qunar, has urged its global partners to ease cancellation
penalties through early February in the wake of the outbreak. As of Jan. 28,
dozens of airline and hotel partners, including Asiana Airlines, Singapore
Airlines, Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Jumeirah, Marriott, Melia and Shangri-La
had joined the initiative. The company said it expects more to follow suit.
Meetings, Incentive Travel Hit Hard
"Avoiding large gatherings of people is a basic protocol for
reducing the spread of disease," said Riskline Eurasia's Scansani.
That, itself, puts meetings and incentives at the center of a cancellation
bullseye. And not just in China, according to Scansani. "The impact is
really big… [including] in markets in close proximity to China," he said.
Hong Kong, for example, heavily restricted border crossings from China as of
midnight Thursday. "Economically, [the travel industry] was already
suffering heavily due to the protest, now it's going to get worse. Hotels, food
and beverage outlets … they are locking down."
Regional tourism boards in Thailand, as well, are bracing for a
steep drop-off in such groups. The Bangkok
Post reported that outbound Chinese incentive groups historically have
been a mainstay for the hospitality industry in February and the local tourism
board awaits confirmation from groups comprising at least 5,500 travelers from
China.
The hesitation has spread as far as the U.K., according to Hyzler,
where at press time there were currently no confirmed coronavirus cases.
"We had a call Monday … [and] the client asked about a conference they
were holding in the U.K. They wanted advice on whether to cancel because they
expected [participants from] 180 countries and 56 individuals from China,"
he said. "I suspected the Chinese participants might not come because they
wouldn't be allowed to leave China."
As the situation escalates, Spangler suspected the same.
"There will be no travel to China for meetings; and no Chinese travelers
out of China going to meetings." He added that more countries, especially
smaller ones, would potentially close their borders to Chinese travelers, at
least for the short term. As of Wednesday, he said, North Korea has been the
only country to take that particular measure.
Why So Concerned?
Spangler put the novel coronavirus numbers in context of the
perennial threat of the flu, which is well understood.
"If you compare this outbreak to influenza A and B, every
year A and B affects millions of people globally and kills hundreds of
thousands. This is the same type of bug and requires the same precautions:
vigilant hand washing and avoiding proximity to individuals who are clearly
ill."
If You Must Travel to China
Emanuele Scansani offered the following advice for individuals
with essential travel to China:
- Keep
the trip as short as possible. Things are changing rapidly by the hour.Travelers could get caught in a place, and then there is an evacuation and they're stuck.
- Liaise
with consular authorities before taking the trip.
- Check
medical advice if you already have any medical issues.
- Confirm
you have insurance coverage that will apply.
- Be
able to accept the risk that you can get trapped in a city and be confined
there.
- Wear
a facemask of the highest possible standard and minimize exposure to public
areas; and minimize contact with anyone.
- Keep
track of all locations visited so you can accurately reconstruct your itinerary
to officials.
It's different, however, in what experts don't understand about
the virus. They don't understand how or when there might be a vaccine to
mitigate its affects. They don't fully understand how infectious it is.
"The strains of this coronavirus suggest it is young. It's
not mutated much," said Hyzler. "Now that it's in humans, it has more
potential to mutate; if it does, it can be a more severe infection. Also, we
don't know if there are superspreaders—people who, for some reason, transmitted
to a lot of people. The Chinese government also said there is evidence that the
virus can be spread before there are symptoms, but the CDC says there's no
evidence for that, so there is also uncertainty."
Current protocols
assume an incubation period of 14 days, during which an infected person may
be contagious prior to exhibiting symptoms.
What we do know for sure is that the infection is spreading
outside of China and that the spread is a function of international travel.
Business travelers returning to their home countries can expect additional
screening at immigration as well as temporary quarantine measures. Individuals
who do not want to be exposed to these protocols should avoid business travel
to China.
For business travelers anywhere concerned about the spread of
coronavirus or any infectious disease, Hyzler underscored vigilance.
"Wearing a mask may not protect you from a virus, but it will keep your
hands away from your face and remind you of the risks. Wash hands, use
alcohol-based rubs. No one is going to look at you like a germaphobe anymore."
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Dawit Habtemariam contributed additional reporting to this story.