Global Coronavirus Outbreak: Where to now?

Issued 3:45pm AEDT, 2nd February 2020.

Updated 5:00pm AEDT, 4th February 2020.

On 7th January 2020, Chinese authorities identified a Novel (new) Coronavirus in Wuhan City in Hubei Province, and named it 2019-nCoV.

On 20th January 2020, Chinese authorities confirmed human-to-human transmission, leading to widespread media articles being released. As of 21st January 2020 (12:00am AEDT), we consider this to be a known event affecting the Hubei Province of China.

On 29th January 2020, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) advised all Australians to reconsidered their need to travel to China. The Hubei Province had a travel advice warning of Level 4 (Do Not Travel).

On 31st January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has deemed this event an international health emergency. As of 31st January 2020 (4:00pm AEDT), we consider this to be a known event globally. If you purchased your policy before this and cannot travel to China while DFAT’s Smart Traveller website has a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) warning, we advise you to first contact your airline, accommodation and tour providers immediately to assess your cancellation or rescheduling entitlements. Should there be outstanding out of pocket expenses, you are entitled to submit a claim.

On 1st February 2020, DFAT’s Smart Traveller website upgraded the travel advice warning to China to Level 4 (Do Not Travel). As a consequence, we are now unable to provide any coverage for travel to China.

If you purchased your policy before 31st January 2020 (4:00pm AEDT) and cannot travel to China while DFAT’s Smart Traveller website has a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) warning, we advise you to first contact your airline, accommodation and tour providers immediately to assess your cancellation or rescheduling entitlements. Many airlines and accommodation providers have reacted to the 2019-nCov Coronavirus outbreak by amending their cancellation policies for travellers. For advice on which accommodation providers and airlines have amended policies, what country of travel this applies to and applicable dates, please refer to this page. Should there be outstanding out of pocket expenses, you are entitled to submit a claim. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the outbreak and claim considerations on DFAT advice, the entitlements of your policy may change depending on the advice given by DFAT. On top of this, please pay close attention to the local media and emergency services, including the World Health Organisation (WHO).

If you have travelled to locations affected by this outbreak and have developed symptoms of respiratory illness, please contact your doctor.

Please note if you choose to travel to China whilst the Level 4 advice is in place there are no provisions to claim under your policy for any section.

Please note if you choose to cancel your trip to any place that does not have a Level 4 (Do Not Travel) warning on DFAT’s Smart Traveller website, there are no provisions in your policy to claim for change of mind or fear of travel.

Am I Covered For Claims Related To This Event, for travel to or transit through China (Including the Hubei Province)?

• If you bought your policy before 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020 and were in, or due to travel to China (Including the Hubei Province) you may be covered for cancellation or medical expenses as per the benefits in your specific PDS.
  • If you had previously contacted us and were advised we will not cover cancellations to China (outside the Hubei Province), your coverage may have changed as a result of DFAT’s Smart Traveller website updating the travel advice warning for China from Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) to Level 4 (Do Not Travel), at 6.00pm AEDT, 1st February 2020.
• If you bought your policy after 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020 and before 12:00pm AEDT on 29th January 2020 and were in, or due to travel to China you may be covered for cancellation or medical expenses as per the benefits in your specific PDS. However, you may not be covered for cancellation or medical expenses as per the benefits in your specific PDS if you were in, or due to travel to the Hubei Province (Including Wuhan City).
  • If you had previously contacted us and were advised we will not cover cancellations to China (outside the Hubei Province), your coverage may have changed as a result of DFAT’s Smart Traveller website updating the travel advice warning for China from Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) to Level 4 (Do Not Travel), at 6.00pm AEDT, 1st February 2020.
• If you bought your policy after 12:00pm (AEDT) on 29th January 2020 and before 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to this event in the Hubei Province, China. All claims are subject to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy you purchased. Please note:
  • You may be covered for claims in other parts of China (Outside Hubei Province). However you may not be covered for claims arising in other parts of China, where disruptions to the itinerary occur as a result of publicly known tourist attraction closures directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). For example: Shanghai Disneyland, the Forbidden City or the National Museum of China temporarily closing to contain the outbreak.
  • If you had previously contacted us and were advised we will not cover cancellations to China other than the Hubei Province, your right for cover may have changed as a result of DFAT’s Smart Traveller website updating the travel advice warning for China from Level 3 to Level 4 (Do Not Travel), at 6.00pm AEDT, 1st February 2020.
• If you bought your policy after 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It would be expected the policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments.

Am I Covered For Claims Related To This Event, for travel to Destinations other than China?

• If you bought your policy before 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020, you may be covered as per the benefits of your specific PDS, but you will not be covered for cancelling your trip due to change of mind or fear.
• If you bought your policy after 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020 and before 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for cancelling your trip due to change of mind or fear but you may be covered for claims directly related to travel delays as a result of quarantines at major airports directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Please be aware our policies only cover connecting flights where the stopover was originally scheduled on your itinerary for more than 6 hours.
• If you bought your policy after 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It would be expected the policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments.

For more information about travel insurance and Pandemic Coverage, check this article published by Choice.

Global Coronavirus Outbreak: where to now?

Issued 4:07pm AEDT, 31st January 2020

Please be aware this post has 1 subsequent relevant update. Click here to view our updated post.

On 7th January 2020, Chinese authorities identified a Novel (new) Coronavirus in Wuhan City in Hubei Province, and named it 2019-nCoV.

On 20th January 2020, Chinese authorities confirmed human-to-human transmission, leading to widespread media articles being released. As of 21st January 2020 (12:00am AEDT), we consider this to be a known event affecting the Hubei Province of China.

On 29th January 2020, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) advised all Australians to reconsidered their need to travel to China. The Hubei Province was categorised ‘’Do Not Travel”.

On 31st January 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has deemed this event an international health emergency. As of 31st January 2020 (4:00pm AEDT), we consider this to be a known event globally.

We advise all travellers to reconsider your need to travel to China, as advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Smartraveller website. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the outbreak and claim considerations on DFAT advice, the entitlements of your policy may change depending on the advice given by DFAT. On top of this, please pay close attention to the local media and emergency services, including the World Health Organisation (WHO).

If you have travelled to locations affected by this outbreak and have developed symptoms of respiratory illness, please contact your doctor. If you have a trip planned to locations affected by this outbreak, please contact your travel, accommodation and tour providers to amend your travel plans. Also contact your airline, cruise or travel operator to check if tourist services are affected or for cancellations.

Please note if you choose to cancel your trip, there are no provisions to claim under your policy for change of mind or fear of travel.

Am I Still Covered For Claims Related To This Event?

• If you bought your policy before 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020:
  • and were in, or due to travel to the Hubei Province you may be covered for cancellation or medical expenses as per the benefits in your specific PDS.
  • and were due to travel elsewhere you may be covered as per the benefits of your specific PDS, but you will not be covered for cancelling your trip due to change of mind or fear.
• If you bought your policy after 12:00am AEDT on 21st January 2020 and before 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020:
  • You may not be covered for claims arising in other parts of China, where disruptions to the itinerary occur as a result of publicly known tourist attraction closures directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). For example: Shanghai Disneyland, the Forbidden City or the National Museum of China temporarily closing to contain the outbreak.
  • You may be covered for claims directly related to travel delays as a result of quarantines at major airports directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), outside the Hubei Province. Please be aware our policies only cover connecting flights where the stopover was originally scheduled on your itinerary for more than 6 hours.
• If you bought your policy after 4:00pm AEDT on 31st January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It would be expected a policy was entered into with awareness of the virus and its developments.

For more information about travel insurance and Pandemic Coverage, check this article published by Choice: https://www.choice.com.au/travel/money/travel-insurance/articles/travel-insurance-pandemic

Coronavirus Outbreak in Hubei Province, China: where to now?

Issued 1:45pm AEDT, 29th January 2020

Please be aware this post has 2 subsequent relevant updates. Click here to view our updated post.

Chinese authorities have identified an outbreak of a Novel (new) Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan City in Hubei Province. Should you travel to this province in China, we advise you to exercise a high degree of caution. If you have travelled to the Hubei Province and have developed symptoms of respiratory illness, please contact your doctor.

We also advise all travellers to reconsider your need to travel to China, as advised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) Smartraveller website. If your travel plans are affected, contact your airline, cruise or travel operator to check if tourist services are affected or for cancellations. However please note if you choose to cancel your trip, there are no provisions to claim under your policy for change of mind or fear of travel, and this is not a claimable event for travels outside the Hubei Provice, China. On top of this, please pay close attention to the local media and emergency services, including the World Health Organisation (WHO).

This is considered a known event as of 12:00am (AEDT) on 21st January 2020.

Am I Still Covered For Claims Related To This Event?

• If you bought your policy before 12:00am (AEDT) on 21st January 2020, you may be covered for claims related to this event (specifically in the Hubei Province, China).
• If you bought your policy between 12:00am (AEDT) on 21st January 2020 and 12:00pm (AEDT) on 29th January 2020, you may be covered for claims related to this event (specifically in the Hubei Province, China).
• If you bought your policy after 12:00pm (AEDT) on 29th January 2020, you will not be covered for claims related to this event in the Hubei Province, China. All claims are subject to the terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions of the policy you purchased. Please note:
  • You may not be covered for claims arising in other parts of China, where disruptions to the itinerary occur as a result of publicly known tourist attraction closures directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). For example: Shanghai Disneyland, the Forbidden City or the National Museum of China temporarily closing to contain the outbreak.
  • You may be covered for claims directly related to travel delays as a result of quarantines at major airports directly related to the Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), outside the Hubei Province. Please be aware our policies only cover connecting flights where the stopover was originally scheduled on your itinerary for more than 6 hours.

For more information about travel insurance and Pandemic Coverage, check this article published by Choice: https://www.choice.com.au/travel/money/travel-insurance/articles/travel-insurance-pandemic

Eruption of Taal Volcano in the Philippines: Where To Now?

The eruption of Taal Volcano, near Manila in The Philippines has caused flights to be cancelled. Further, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology has issued a warning that more hazardous events may follow, which include a volcanic tsunami, nearby areas being threatened with volcanic matter, and hot gas currents.

As of 12:00am (AEDT) on 13th January 2020, this is considered to be a known event.

Am I Still Covered For Claims Related To This Event?

Important note: all medical claims related to natural disasters are covered automatically on all of our international policies, regardless of whether you purchased the natural disaster cover add-on. 

• If you bought your policy before 12:00am (AEDT) on 13th January 2020, you will be covered for any claims that are related to this event, as long as you bought the natural disaster cover add-on.
• If you bought your policy after 12:00am (AEDT) on 13th January 2020, you will not be covered for any claims that are related to this event, even if you bought the natural disaster cover add-on.
• With the exception of medical costs, you will not be covered for any claims related to this event if you did not buy the natural disaster cover add-on, regardless of when you bought your policy.

Missile Attack in Iraq

On 8 January 2020, Iran launched missiles into Iraq over the busy commercial corridor in eastern Iraq. In response, some flights have diverted around Iraqi airspace and aviation authorities have began issuing NOTAMs prohibiting civil aviation from operating in Iraq, Iran, and over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.

Am I covered for the Missile Attack in Iraq?

Our policies contain general exclusions for any claims arising out of war, civil war, invasion, insurrection, revolution, use of or threatened use of military power, usurpation of government or military power. This means we do not cover claims arising from these events (including diversions and delays), irrespective of when the event occurred and when it became publicly known.