Updated March 27, 2020
The World Health Organization reports that there are now more than 465,195 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 200 countries and territories.
The United States has surpassed China to report the most number of confirmed cases at 86,012, followed by China (81,897) and Italy (80,589), according to Johns Hopkins University’s most recent tally.
The WHO offers a glimmer of hope from no new cases being reported in Wuhan, where the outbreak began in December, showing that the situation, however severe, can be turned around. The WHO does caution that the situation can still reverse and warns against letting our guards down.
The WHO continues to recommend isolating, testing and treating every suspected case, as well as tracing every contact.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 127,567 people have recovered from the coronavirus as of March 27, 2020.
Multiple carriers are continuing to cancel or scale back flights and issuing travel waivers* to countries that are heavily impacted by COVID-19.
CWT has a long and successful history of handling our customers' travel arrangements and plans in times of unexpected uncertainty and special situations. Our dedicated, cross-functional COVID-19 task force is engaged in contingency planning on behalf of our customers, effectively treating this as a business continuity plan.
CWT also works closely with our safety and security partner, International SOS, which issues regular alerts on developments across the globe that may impact our clients and their traveling employees. The International SOS has also introduced a no-cost resource and information portal to provide the most up-to-date information and advice to business travelers amid this rapidly changing environment.
CWT recently interviewed the International SOS on its latest podcast on what the leading travel risk services company is advising business travelers in these unprecedented and unsettling times.
For the latest information on COVID-19, please visit the following official sources:
- World Health Organization
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- International SOS
- IATA
- US State Department
- Johns Hopkins University
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Worldometers
For anyone traveling, or who has traveled, to or near a coronavirus-affected area, please ensure they:
- Check with the airline to confirm the latest schedule.
- Check their company’s travel policy as many organizations have restricted travel to certain countries.
- Check with their medical doctor and company if they need to be quarantined.
- If they have an existing condition, check with their medical doctor before they think of traveling, or simply don’t travel.
*Any refunds and associated charges will be made according to the airline or hotel’s policy. Except for travelers based in China who purchased flight tickets before 28 January and wish to cancel their trip where CWT will not charge a service fee for handling their refund requests, CWT charges and service fees will continue to apply for all other cancellations or changes made to travelers’ bookings.
The information we provide may not address your individual requirements and are for informational purposes only. Such information does not constitute any form of legal or medical advice and should not be relied on or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances and is not intended to be relied upon by you in making (or refraining from making) any specific decisions.