Travel in the time of Covid-19

The Americans evacuated their citizens on the Diamond Princess and they will complete -- or extend -- their quarantines in California.  Forty Americans contracted the virus on that floating petri dish.  Hong Kong has done the same.  Britain doesn't want to do it yet.  But things are being carefully controlled and Japan had things well in hand or as much as things could be had in hand when you've a cruise ship -- which viruses love -- and 2,000 people.

The Cambodians were not as careful.  They let almost everyone go and then found someone with the virus as they went to Malaysia.  Retesting there, the 85-year-old husband and wife were sent immediately to hospital for isolation.  Those who were still on the ship have to remain on board and those who were not tested or asymptomatic were sent home.  This is a colossal slip up because on a cruise ship if there is one, there are two or twenty or 221 as there are in Japan thanks to the cruise ship epidemic.   This slip could cause a worldwide pandemic; all these people wanted was just to go home after being not allowed to dock anywhere in Asia except Cambodia where they sat for days, their vacations in shambles.

With Covid-19, you can be asymptomatic and contagious as fuck.  We can only hope that these people are stopped at borders and tested and everyone around them on the plane tested.   And everyone in the homes and jobs of the people around them on the plane tested.  And in the restaurants where they eat and the buses they take and the guy at the car wash who cleans out their cars.  Etcetera.

On March 1st, I am going to Tokyo, a trip I am really looking forward to taking.  A week in Tokyo when it's not summer!  Ramen!  Tsukumen!  Conveyer belt sushi! Walking around and looking at the coolest of cool things that are not American.  Today is February 16th and my last day to cancel is February 27th.  Every day I look at the US Embassy in Tokyo website and so far they advise that everything is normal.  If the news looks bad, I won't go.  If things look normal, off I go!

Before you or I go to that part of the world, take a look at this BBC News article that tells you the symptoms and what precautions to take.  Best wishes for safe travels to us all.



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