Travel Plans for Easter Amidst Coronavirus Scare

WASH YOUR HANDS – USE A TISSUE WHEN TOUCHING OR SNEEZING – DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE

Here we are counting down the days until the Easter Holidays and all we are hearing on the news is coronavirus in Italy, coronavirus in France, travel alerts, etc etc. Many of us will have already booked for school family holiday trips and many will be planning ahead for the summer months.

I did a bit of research on transportation safety during this outbreak and came up with following public information

Flying: According to a BBC New Health Report there is a common misconception that you are more likely to contract an illness on a plane because you are breathing in stale air. Apparently the opposite is true; the air is cleaner than in an office environment and definitely better than on buses or trains. A professor who studies air quality estimated that the air on a plane is completely replaced every 2-3 minutes vs every 10-12 minutes in an air conditioned building using a high efficiency particulate air filter (HEPA). The HEPA system captures small particles including viruses as well as sucking in fresh air unlike many air conditioning systems which simply recirculate the air to save energy. More on this

Trains and buses: It is still somewhat of a mystery as to how coronavirus spreads but if it’s like similar viruses it would be contracted from coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces (the reason for Boris’ hand washing happy birthday song X2). They don’t think it’s in the air like flu so close contact (being within 2 metres) should be avoided. That being said bus, trains and the underground (depending upon how crowded they are) are potentially risky.

Ferry: I visited the website for Brittany Ferries and they had some good news to share. They have confirmed that all areas of their ships to include cabines, restaurants and bars are supplied by fresh air only. Hand sanitizers are also readily available. Here is information provided by Brittany Ferries.

Eurotunnel: Clearly this may be a slightly better option at this time. Once you’ve checked in you can simply stay in your car for the duration, no need for eating or drinking in public places. The Eurotunnel is taking guidance from the Department for Transport and Public Health England as well as French Government advice. If you decide to change your travel dates, most ticket types may be used for up to 1 year from date of purchase and can be amended with no admin fees if changed prior to the actual day of travel. Flexiplus tickets are 100% refundable. Read more

Please share this information with your friends and family and would love to know what is the consensus about your travel plans this Easter and Summer? Send us your comments below!

Here are some useful links for current information on coronavirus: