Martin said: “This is the big warning. I do it every year – I talk about booking travel insurance ASAB – as soon as you book.
“Because if you don’t and something happens in the meantime before you get travel insurance, you’re not covered.
“Well, anyone who has booked a holiday now for this year – if you have not got travel insurance, if you get the travel insurance and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office then says you can’t go to a country, you’re covered.
“If the Foreign & Commonwealth Office rules out a country in future and you haven’t got travel insurance at that point, you’re not covered.
READ MORE: British Airways flights cancelled: Coronavirus fears see huge number of holidays at risk
Coronavirus is sweeping Europe and the rest of the world, with only one continent unaffected – Antartica.
What does the virus mean for your holiday?
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is currently advising against all travel to Hubei province in China.
The FCO are also warning against “all but essential” travel to the rest of mainland China.
A number of towns in northern Italy are currently under lockdown after hundreds of people tested positive for coronavirus.
As a result the FCO are advising against “all but essential” travel to 10 towns in the Lombardy region and one town in the Veneto region of Italy.
These towns are: Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano and Vo’ Euganeo.
The FCO offers the same advice for the cities of Daegu and Cheongdo in South Korea.
The FCO is not advising against travel to any other country at this time, but are regularly updating their website with the latest risk assessments.
Should I cancel my holiday?
Tour operators are only required to give a refund on holidays if the FCO declares a region a no-go area. If you have plans to travel to any areas not advised by the Foreign Office, cancelling your holiday may be unavoidable.
Cancellations due to FCO advice may be covered by your travel insurance, and your travel operator may offer a refund in such circumstances.
The FCO currently advise: “If you’re concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on your existing travel plans, check with your airline, tour operator, cruise line or other transport and accommodation providers as applicable. Individual providers may also have their own requirements for customers or passengers to meet.”
For flights still going ahead to regions not under FCO warnings, it is unlikely you will receive a refund if you cancel your holiday. If you have a holiday booked for the future, keep up to date with the FCO advice on foreign travel.
