CORONAVIRUS is spreading fast in Germany where 188 cases of the deadly disease have now been confirmed.
More than half of the cases in Germany are in North Rhine-Westphalia, where an infected couple attended carnival celebrations. Here’s what you need to know if you’re heading to Germany on holiday.
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Is it safe to travel to Germany?
The UK Foreign Office’s latest update states that anyone travelling to Germany should “comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the authorities”.
It advises: “There is an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus. The virus originated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, but cases have been confirmed in other parts of China and in some other countries, including Germany.”
The Federal Ministry of Health website warns that further cases of infection are “possible” in Germany.
The ministry adds: “By order of the Federal Ministry of Health, travellers from all of China (including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao) have been required to fill in landing cards giving information on their flight and stating where they will be staying for the 30 days following landing, as well as where they stayed in China, people they were in contact with and their current health status.
“Airlines will distribute the landing cards and transmit the completed cards to the public health offices for safekeeping.
“Airlines are also required to distribute a multilingual information brochure on board flights. With these orders, the Federal Ministry of Health is complying with the recommendations of the EU Council of Health Ministers.”
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Can I cancel my holiday to Germany?
British Airways and Ryanair have cancelled hundreds of flights to European countries including Germany, amid a drop in travel demand owing to coronavirus.
British Airways (BA) is cancelling more than 200 flights from March 16 to 28.
Those affected include routes departing from London for New York, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany and Ireland.
BA customers will be offered an alternative flight for a later date or a full refund.
The operator has also announced that customers booking travel over the next two weeks (until March 16) will have the option to delay their trip.
Ryanair has said it will cut a quarter of its planned flights in and out of Italy. This will last from March 17 to April 8.
Ryanair customers are able to rebook or reroute their flights or apply for a refund.
Easyjet is also cancelling a number of flights, mainly to and from Italy, between March 13 and 31.
Customers are either being moved onto flights operating on the same day or being offered a full refund.
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However, if flights are not cancelled, Brits travelling to Germany are unlikely to get their money back on flights.
The only time that tour operators are required to give a refund on holiday packages is if the Foreign Office changes its travel advice for a region and turns it into a no-go area, which they have not done in this case.
Independent hotels are not even required to refund money in this instance, so if you have paid in advance and choose not to turn up then you will lose your money.
If the hotel is a large chain, it could be worth asking to change your stay to another location or delay your trip but they are under no obligation to grant this.
Holidaymakers are advised to check with their travel insurance providers to see if there is something they can do, but that is also unlikely.
Here’s the travel advice if you’re heading to Majorca and Tenerife.
Italy has reported the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, with numbers exceeding 1,600.
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