It’s the cool season in Brazil during the Olympics, so I’ve been told there is minimal chance of even seeing those pesky mozzies? Don’t let Zika win big in Rio I want to follow Rory McIlroy’s lead and cancel my trip to Brazil, can I get a refund?
With some athletes staying away, Josh Martin assesses the likelihood of Zika virus putting a dampener on Rio’s Olympic carnival.
What’s the official advice for New Zealanders travelling to Brazil for the Rio Olympics?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Safe Travel website highlights the risks of Zika virus contraction while visiting the city of sand, sun and Samba.
Along with registering your travel plans, buying Olympic Games tickets from registered vendors and generally exercising caution, it suggests staying in air-conditioned rooms with bed nets to further reduce the (already small) risk of contracting Zika from the Aedes aegypti mosquito which in very rare cases has lead to Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious immune system disorder.
MFAT stops short of discouraging travel, but due to the major sporting event it will base a New Zealand Consular team in Rio for the duration of the Olympic Games.
What has the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised?
The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for Zika in February and has recommended that people travelling to Brazil cover up as much as their bare skin as possible and apply insect repellent frequently. It also recommended against travel and trade restrictions, which indicates the very small risk to the general population.
Despite Rio de Janeiro being renowned for passion and home to a catwalk of flesh on its beaches, a cold shower might be needed for traveller-twosomes.
That’s because Zika can be sexually transmitted, so the WHO is also urging Rio revellers to practice safe sex or abstinence during their South American stay and for at least eight weeks after their return home.
What’s more if your partner is pregnant the safe-sex recommendation is for the duration of the pregnancy, due to the risk of the unborn child contracting microcephaly.
To help combat this, Brazilian authorities will distribute 450,000 condoms at the Olympics for those who cannot resist athletic pursuits of the bedroom variety.
The WHO says it sees no reason to move the Games, arguing that a change in location would not significantly alter the international spread of Zika, which currently has an infection rate of only one in 100,000. That didn’t stop Amir Attaran writing in the Harvard Public Health Review recently that the games should be moved because, looking at the suspected Zika cases and the Zika incidence rate in the host city ‘‘according to the Brazil’s official data, Rio is not on the fringes of the outbreak, but inside its heart’’.
The author feared bringing a mass of global spectators to ‘‘ground zero’’ of Zika and then sending them home again (some infected with the virus) was perhaps not the smartest idea.
Despite this Attaran did admit that, due to its similarity with Dengue fever, Zika transmission was likely to ebb in the cooler months of July and August.
Anyhow, didn’t the Brazilian government say the threat is minuscule?
Is this the same Brazilian government that let the Rio Olympics’ costs bloat to more than 50 per cent over budget?
The same group is also a tiny bit worried that tickets and hotel rooms haven’t sold out as fast as they’d like? It would be wise to take that reassurance with more than a pinch of salt, given it comes from a not-disinterested party.
In fact, the Brazilian government’s upheaval following former President Dilma Rousseff’s ousting (another disaster we don’t have time for) has been identified as a reason for the health ministry staff admitting they are underprepared for the influx of tourists who may be struck down by the Zika virus.
The International Olympic Committee said it has attempted to make the sports venues as mosquito-proof as possible. Probably not. Although Zika has made headlines around the world, it is yet to become a global medical crisis that would warrant mass tour cancellations and cities in lockdown. Most airlines, agents and travel insurers will have little sympathy for a change of heart, unless bookings were made earlier than the outbreak in Rio, or are already covered by refundable status ... something most cheap flights no longer include.
House of Travel’s Brent Thomas offered a glimmer of hope: ‘‘If the country is listed on Safe Travel as being affected by Zika, and you booked your trip and insurance policy ahead of the Zika virus becoming common knowledge, you have grounds to make an insurance claim which will be assessed on an individual basis.’’
Thomas added that several airlines and insurance providers are offering flexibility for those with travel planned to Zikaaffected destinations, particularly if pregnant.
Forget Zika risks I want to watch the 100m final, can I still get flights, rooms and tickets?
OK, you’ll embrace spontaneity, sport, abstinence and will be dedicated to reapplying insect repellent every half hour … but can you afford to go?
Flights to Rio are higher than usual for dates either side of the opening and closing ceremonies, but not eye-wateringly so. Return flights via Santiago can be snapped up for $2100 return with a few days before and after the main events, or $1900 return if you don’t mind arriving two days after the first starting gun. Not bad when you consider a one-way flight to Rio with Air New Zealand is $899 when on sale off-peak.
You can fly with the national carrier for $1650 return if you are fine with just seeing the athletics week and then a week to explore the country after. Rio has followed in the footprint of past Olympic host cities London and Athens, whose leaders predict full accommodation rates, but fail to deliver. Even if the five-star rooms, like the iconic Copacabana Palace, are booked out (those IOC committee members have it rough), mid-range abodes in Centro can be found throughout the Summer games for less than $65 a night, with beachside hotels in Ipanema and Copa’ costing around $110.
Bargains can be found on sites like Booking.com this close to the opening ceremony now that hotels are slashing prices to ensure occupancy. Although the opening ceremony at Maracana stadium might set you back thousands, and prime seats for the 100m final hundreds, you can easily buy official tickets from box offices in Rio for smaller events and still get change from $50.