Planning your wedding during the coronavirus outbreak is bringing up a new set of concerns related to your upcoming celebrations. The number of worldwide cases of Coronavirus continues to rise, and if you are about to host a wedding or attend one, you’re left wondering what the impact of the virus will have on your events and your travel. In short, there is no need to panic just yet. However, there are a number of precautions you can take to protect yourself and your guests, including the liberal use of sanitizing agents, avoiding touching public surfaces and self-quarantining if you are sick. Bibi spoke to a number of experts in the wedding industry including a bride-to-be doctor of emergency medicine and here is what they advise to those planning their weddings.
Dr Fazila Lalani, an emergency medicine doctor who recently returned from Dar As Salam where she set up an emergency room and also a bride-to-be says, “I think that it will get worse before it gets better, but it is not as fatal as people think. Yes, older people and sick people should practice much more caution, but for everyone else, I suggest taking proper precautions like washing your hands, using sanitizing products, coughing into your elbow, etc. I think there’s more hype [about coronavirus] because of the media and people sharing misinformation on social media.”
Dr Lalani’s own wedding is happening July 3-4, 2020 in New York and even with a 1000-person guest list, many of whom will be flying in for the event, she isn’t too concerned. “I’m hopeful that by July, the virus will die down and we will have more clarity about it. If you look at China, they are already seeing a reduction in cases because people are doing the right thing. Just take the right precautions. For example, I am supposed to go to a friend’s bachelorette party in France and now we aren’t sure if we are going. Since I am also looking to plan my own bachelorette party, I now think we will keep it in America instead of abroad. But that’s it. We are still going to have our wedding as planned. I recommend to other brides to do the same and if they want to, at the event, avoid touching people, maybe do a fist bump or a namaste instead of shaking hands.”
“Live a normal life,” advises Dr Lalani. “Remember, the flu is just as fatal and contagious as the coronavirus, but without the hype. Get a flu shot, and if you do get sick, self quarantine and make sure you’re not in a household with older members that may be more susceptible to it. Limit your international travel especially to countries on the travel ban list–China, South Korea, Italy and Japan. Yes, more people are going to contract the virus, and will recover, and not die from it.”
If you must travel for your wedding, right now is the best time to work with a travel professional. Ali Khan, a travel agent with Primo Travel Management, says, “Basically, flights are getting cancelled, and people can lose their money or end up paying penalties. A travel agent has direct connections with the airlines and deep knowledge of the industry. We know how to work around each and every travel fare rule and can negotiate the best options for the passenger.”
“This is especially important if you have connections,” he adds, “particularly on international flights, because some legs of your journey may be cancelled and others may not, which can result in your being stranded or losing money you paid for the tickets.”
Ali explains, “We are also aware of international government policies regarding travel and events. For example, on March 4th, Gulf countries have imposed travel bans and in some cases, are even canceling public events. We know what is happening and can navigate on our client’s behalf.”
According to planner Nirjary Desai of Kiscubed Events. “I think it’s more of a media frenzy right now. I haven’t had to cancel a wedding yet, but we’ve had to postpone some travel because as vendors we don’t want to get stuck somewhere.”
She advises couples planning a wedding, “I’m preparing my clients to get proper event insurance in case they need to postpone the wedding, especially for destination weddings. I also suggest making sure the event insurance coverage works internationally to cover the country where your wedding will be.” Companies like Travelers Insurance and Wedsure offer wedding insurance starting at $125, which can cover cancellations, sickness, rentals and even deposits.
“We haven’t had any cancellations yet, but there is concern,” says Veronica Salazar, Catering Manager of the Houston Marriott Sugarland. Our weddings are still going forward and we still have inquiries coming in. We are taking precautions though. We have hand sanitizers everywhere, in the bathrooms, front desk, in the kitchens. Our parent company Marriott International, is very sympathetic and asking each property to take care of their clients, but each property is currently gauging the situation based on their clientele. For example, the JW Marriott, which gets a lot of international corporate travelers has seen a lot more cancellations. We are more local and so far the virus hasn’t really affected us.”
For up-to-date coverage of the coronavirus, please visit the Center for Disease Control
- Contact a doctor preferably by phone or Telemedicine platforms
- Stay home if you’re sick
- Drink 2-3 liters of Pedialyte or sugar free Gatorade a day, for 3-4 days.
- If the fever doesn’t break and you’re dehydrated, combat the summons with fluids and ibuprofen 600 mg every 6 hours
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Go to the hospital if you have shortness of breath, trouble breathing or are coughing up green sputum
Quoted from Vox News March 5th, 2020
- American Airlines will waive change fees for passengers who’ve bought a ticket between March 5 and March 31. It’s also suspending flights to Milan, Italy through April 24, and halting operations to and from Seoul, South Korea. Read all of American’s travel updates here.
- Alaska Airlines will waive fees for tickets purchased between February 27 and March 31, which applies to any travel through June 30. The policy applies to all of its fares, including its “saver fares,” which generally don’t allow changes or cancellations. Read more on Alaska’s travel advisories and its plane cleaning measures here.
- Delta will waive fees for all flights booked between March 1 to March 31, including international flights previously booked that are scheduled to fly in March. The airline allows passengers to make a one-time change through April 30 for trips to Shanghai and Beijing, China; Seoul, South Korea; and all locations in Italy. Read more on Delta’s travel updates here.
- JetBlue will waive fees for all new flights booked between February 27 and March 11 for travel through June 1. Although the airline primarily serves a domestic market, it’s expected to cut its capacity by 5 percent, Reuters reported.
- United will allow all travelers booking a flight between March 3 and March 31 to change it for free over the next 12 months. The airline will suspend flights between the US and Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Shanghai through April 30. Starting in April, United will also reduce domestic routes by 10 percent and international flights by 20 percent. Read more on United’s travel alerts here.
