The global coronavirus alert: Should I cancel my holiday plans?

Is it safe to travel to Italy? Following a coronavirus outbreak, the Italian government has placed travel restrictions on the towns of Codogno, Castiglione d’Adda, Casalpusterlengo, Fombio, Maleo, Somaglia, Bertonico, Terranova dei Passerini, Castelgerundo and San Fiorano.

“We are advising citizens not to travel to these towns,” the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) says. For the moment, it has not raised travel warnings about the rest of Italy - although, as well as the above towns in Lombardy and Veneto, there have been reported cases in Emilia Romagna, Sicily and Rome, among other places.

Is it safe to travel to Tenerife? The DFA has not yet altered its normal travel advice on Spain.

As of Tuesday afternoon, there has only been one confirmed case of coronavirus on the Canary Island, though there are reports of tourists in the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel being under lockdown.

Are flights operating as normal?

As of Tuesday afternoon, yes.

“Aer Lingus is continuing to monitor the situation and will liaise with the Department of Foreign Affairs, other Government Departments and relevant authorities as required,” it says.

Ryanair flights “are operating as normal”, the airline says. Both airlines are experiencing high volumes of passenger enquiries.

The Irish Travel Agents’

Association (ITAA) has called for the public to “be pragmatic” about their holiday bookings.

If I cancel my holiday, can I get a refund?

If the DFA issues a warning to “avoid non-essential travel” to an area (as it has done for China, for instance), or a “do not travel” alert, then you should be eligible for refunds or re-bookings.

If you haven’t booked with a licensed and bonded tour operator (i.e. you have booked separate hotels and flights yourself ), then you will need to check T&Cs, or rely on your travel insurance (see below) for refunds.

If you cancel because you feel uncomfortable about travelling to an area, and the DFA has not issued a warning about that area, then you are unlikely to be able to cancel or amend a booking without losing money.

If you are worried about the situation, your best bet at this stage is to contact your tour operator or airline.

What will my travel insurance cover?

If the DFA advises against “non-essential travel” to a country or specific area you are travelling to and you have ‘Travel Disruption’ on your policy, you will be covered if you need to cancel or cut short a trip.

“Travel Disruption is an additional cover and must be purchased in advance of any public announcement prohibiting travel to the area you are travelling to,” explains Ciaran Mulligan of Blue Insurance and MultiTrip.com.

Note that there is a moratorium (typically around seven days) on this additional cover from the date you add it. If you buy it today, for example, it will only kick in a week down the line.