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Saturday, January 25, 2020

Travel restrictions caused by the Coronavirus And How This Could Affect You

We get flu at this time of year worldwide. I and friend in London, England, and Singapore have had flu.



Flag of China

The symptoms of this coronavirus are similar. The Coronavirus is a family of viruses including the common cold, SARS and MERS.

Coronaviruses are so named because when seen under a microscope they have spikes like a crown. At first China was apparently arresting people for spreading fake and alarmist news about this coronavirus.

Then the cases multiplied. Videos appeared showing bodies in the street and crowds of people wearing masks at a Wuhan hospital.

 Wuhan is the capital of a province (a large area like a US state) called Hubei in central China. Wuhan has a population of eleven million. Larger than London, England which has a population of 9.9 million.



Any Good News?
Yes. Decisive action by the Chinese government. No ifs no buts. No travel within or to and from the centre of the contagious virus in Wuhan.

Contagious means touch. Infections means airborne, so somebody sneezing nearby can pass it on.

You can check at airports to see if somebody has a high fever. However,
1 They might not develop symptoms until several days later.
2 They might not be suffering any symptoms but could still pass it on to you.


More Good news at the end.





Challenges
What is the coronavirus?
Coronavirus is a blanket name, like flu. SARS was a coronavirus. The latest one in 2020 started in December 2019 in Wuhan, a city in China. But it really hit the news in late January 2020. On Friday 24th, the eve of Chinese New Year, I read that China was closing:
travel out of the city of Wuhan, including guards at railway stations.
Closing down the Great Wall.
Closing the Forbidden City in Beijing.
Closing several chinese cities.
Closing McDonalds in Wuhan.
Building a hospital with the timeline of a week.

Where Did It Start
apparently in a market selling foods including snakes, bats, koalas and more.

You cannot in many cities celebrate Chinese New Year. You cannot travel to meet your family, greet incoming overseas visitors, and so you cannot exchange red packets containing money.

Any Solutions Or Good News?

Traditionally you would be meeting up with family to give the unmarried youngsters red packets, red for good luck, containing money.



Red Packets
The latest thing is sending money through your phone. Works well now that those in China are restricted from travelling.

I looked up the Chinese restaurant we used to visit near Watford in North West London. They seem to be closed for Chinese New Year. We would go there because parking was easy and they were so large you could usually get a table.

Imperial China, Elton Way, Watford WD25 8HA, tel +44 1923 238888. (Reviews on tripadvisor.)

Chinese food, fast food, or pricier restaurants, is available all over Singapore. Most food courts serve a plate of chicken rice at a moderate price. You often get a bowl of chicken soup. In the centre of the city in big shopping malls you will pay more than out in the suburbs. Open air food courts, with fans overhead, are usually cheaper than the indoor air conditioned places.

Useful Websites
UK
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g187058-d2186297-Reviews-or180-Imperial_China-Watford_Hertfordshire_England.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/about/symptoms.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51245680#
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-51235105
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7927975/Coronavirus-spreads-Australia-Four-confirmed-cases.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ico=taboola_feed

Useful Travel Websites

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Please share this link
https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2020/01/collect-red-packets-for-chinese-new-year.html 

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