Ready to go abroad, despite omikron uncertainty and stricter infection control measures in Norway? This is the advice of the insurance companies.
The government did not come up with stricter travel advice on Monday, but Norwegians eager to travel are unsure of what they can and should do, the insurance companies confirm.
– Even if you travel and are allowed into the country and everything is fine, it may be that restaurants, sports arenas and cultural life are closed. The holiday can be quite cheap even if you let in. It is important to be prepared for things to change quickly, says communications manager Ole Irgens in Tryg Forsikring to Nettavisen.
– Think carefully
– Many people have planned trips abroad in connection with the Christmas and New Year weekend. Should they travel?
– You should think carefully before you travel, examine the conditions in the country you are traveling to and be prepared for the conditions to change at short notice. The major uncertainty factor now is the omicron variant. It seems to spread faster than other varieties. What may look like a good destination today may be awkward in a week, says Irgens.
See the latest news about travel advice on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ website
He emphasizes that people need to know what travel insurance covers and does not cover:
– If you are going to cancel a trip, only travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs means that you can get this covered by the insurance if it concerns the corona situation. If a country is shut down due to national measures, it will not be covered, he says.
Støre and the rest of the Government pulled the emergency brake on Monday night.
Insecure travelers
– What is your impression now. Are there many who are unsure when it comes to traveling abroad?
– Many people want to travel, but are unsure. They have been waiting to book, and they call us for advice and to hear what is covered by the insurance. The advice we give is that they should secure themselves. If they book tickets, then there should be tickets that can be canceled, and you should not pay for accommodation in advance. If you do, you could risk losing money while traveling. There are countries that have closed down at short notice.
Also read: These are the new corona measures in your everyday life
Andreas Handeland, Communications Director at If Forsikring, also recommends flexible tickets that can be refunded or moved. And he also advises against prepaid tickets for things like concerts, sporting events and the like, things that are not reimbursed by the insurance.
– There was no talk of new travel restrictions at the government’s press conference with new restrictions on Monday, but what do you say in the insurance companies to people who want to go out and travel?
– We who work with insurance have no definitive answer as to whether our customers should travel or stay at home. As long as there is no travel advice in a country or area, you have fully valid travel insurance on the trip, and that of course includes coronary heart disease. At the same time, we are very concerned that customers should know what obstacles they may face in the world now, and what we can help them with and not, says Handeland.
He says the advice from the Norwegian authorities “is not always equally consistent”:
Among other things, FHI recently said that “it may be safest to stay at home”. But as long as there is no official travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a country or area, you can travel with valid insurance, but it is important to keep in mind that the situation can change quickly.
Handeland says the company’s partners around the world say that they have good control of the situation and that in most places there is decent capacity if emergency hospital treatment is needed. At the same time, he emphasizes that new outbreaks, not least due to omicrons, mean that the situation can change quickly.
Does not cover the entry quarantine
– Travel insurance covers things such as illness, including covid-19, as well as government-imposed infection quarantine or isolation. But it is important to mention that an entry quarantine, whether it is at the destination or upon return to Norway, is not covered. So expenses related to this must be borne by the traveler himself.
Handeland advises people to contact the airline or travel company in advance about the possibility of canceling.
– When there is no travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a country or area, cancellation costs are not covered. But it may be a good idea to contact the airline or travel company and inquire about the options available. Cancellation is covered if you become ill before departure and can present documentation from a doctor on this, he says.
No concrete recommendations
In the Norwegian Directorate of Health latest report to the Ministry of Health and Care Services, which was the professional basis for the measures presented on Monday 13 December, there are no specific recommendations on, for example, quarantine upon entry into Norway. The Norwegian Directorate of Health concludes with the following:
“Entry measures: Testing requires resources, including rapid tests, which are now in short supply and needed by school children and health professionals. With such a widespread epidemic in the country, one can find more infected people in an easier way by testing random people on the street than by testing at the borders. Measures that were put in place to delay the import and spread of the omicron variant are about to lose their justification as the variant is already spreading in the country. “
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