Flu Outbreak Information
On April 29th, the World Health
Organization (WHO) elevated the Pandemic
Alert level to 5.
What Does This Mean? Level
5 is characterized by human-to-human spread
of the virus into at least two countries in
one WHO region. While most countries will not
be affected at this stage, the declaration
of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic
is imminent and is the time to finalize communication
and preparation measures.
How Does This Affect Travel? A
number of countries have enacted special examination
procedures for flights arriving from North
America. The procedures vary from taking every
passengers' temperature and quarantining those
with a fever (Japan) to exiting all passengers
through a thermal sensor and examining those
who set off the meter (Taiwan) to personally
interviewing each passenger and examining those
displaying any signs of illness (Australia). Reports
from travelers indicate these additional procedures
can take up to an hour. Travelers are advised
to allow for this additional time in planning
their schedules.
Can I Change My Ticket? Currently
all major airlines are permitting passengers
who bought tickets to Mexico for travel within
certain dates to reschedule or apply the ticket
to a new destination without penalty. Please
consult the links below for up-to-date policies
for each airline.
Where Can I Get More Information? The
following links provide additional information
concerning the outbreak, arrival procedures
by country, and what companies can do to prepare,
sample sick policies, etc.
What is Travel-On Doing? Like
many of you, Travel-On has taken this time
to review our business continuity plans, update
our sick leave policy, and make our employees
aware of standard self-help and preventive
measures. We are working closely with the airlines
to stay abreast of developments as travel and
ticketing policies change and will continue
to keep you updated as new information becomes
available. |
