COVID-19 better know as the latest novel Coronavirus, is a topic that everyone knows at least a little about. The virus first reared it's ugly head in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has currently spread to over 100 countries, infecting at least 114,458 people, with 4,027 deaths as of 10th march 2020.
While we did see the news reports in early January of this year, at the time we didn't think anything of it. It wasn't mentioned in conversations with other travellers we'd met, we'd talk about where we'd been and where we were going, swapping travel stories and enjoying life in our care-free bubbles. If anything, we'd talk more about the fires sweeping across Australia and what it meant for those living and visiting there.
The first bio-security measures we encountered were the heat scanners as we entered Kuala Lumpar's international airport on the 5th of January. We noticed the stations set up along the walkways leading to customs, and although the high-tech scanners were there, they weren't manned - nor was there anyone in the health check / quarantine area either - so we didn't give it much thought. Nor did we really think too much about coronavirus the whole time we were in Malaysia. When we left 3 weeks later to visit Thailand, we travelled by boat and no-one aboard was checked.
During February in Thailand, life was going on as normal. We were seeing more locals wearing face-masks, but this is a common sight across many places in Asia. It's normal to don a face-mask here if you're feeling unwell to stop you spreading any illnesses, and even if you're not unwell pollution and dust makes wearing them normal too. During this time, the virus had started to leave China but still no one around us seemed to be paying much attention. Thinking we'd encounter health checks at the airport in early March, we left ourselves plenty of time to catch our plane but, apart from a quick infrared thermometer check to the head before security, things were carrying on as normal. The only thing that was different was seeing fellow travellers wearing face-masks while sitting in the departure lounge.
It was only when we arrived in Cambodia that it really became a common topic of conversation, in the beginning of our time here it was mainly talked about in the context of tourism. Talking about how it would be easy to beat the crowds, in the normally jam-packed Angkor Watt in Siem Reap because there wouldn't be half as many people there. There was still tons of visitors in Cambodia's travel destinations - but with the travel restrictions against Chinese tourists, not half as many as there normally would be. As time progressed it was talked about with almost everyone you met, it was hard not too with all of our Facebook feeds filled with stories of hoarding and scaremongering.
It was strange to read new reports about people hoarding toilet tissue and prepping as if for the apocalypse when day to day life seemed to be going on as normal. In Australia in particular toilet paper has become a hot commodity, which is strange considering A) the virus does not make you shit yourself and B) toilet paper is one of the staples the red cross is taking to anyone self-isolating. I'm not saying that the people here don't care, people are just donning their face-masks and making sure to wash their hands. The shops are full of products and nobody seems to be panicking. Our latest guesthouse host said he's been washing his hands about 20 times a day, with touching everyone's money and passports he wants to make sure he's safe, as well as keeping all of his guests safe too - he has got a business to look out for after all.
With the virus now spread into Europe we've started to hear rumours that Thailand and Vietnam are being stricter about visiting Europeans and turning people away - but that's all it is so far, rumours. We haven't seen anything in the news to back this up, it's always that people have heard from a friend of a friend, so for us at least there no point in worrying - what can we do if it's true? We are of course, keeping an eye on countries' entry policies - our fingers crossed that the UK doesn't join the restricted list alongside, China, South Korea, Iran, Italy and Japan.
We're also planning on picking up some face-masks for ourselves; I don't personally believe that they're useful on a day to day wandering around level. There are no scientific studies that prove wearing one will stop you from getting the virus, there are however businesses in Vietnam that will not let you enter their premises without wearing one. I'm willing to go with the flow with this one, if it makes others feel happier and it's not going to harm me in any way - why not. I'm not in the least suggesting that everyone should go out and buy one in England, i'm not! They should be reserved for health workers, doctors and nurses and those working public transport - the UK doesn't have a mask culture to begin with, Asia does.
So are we going to cut our trip short and head home? Short answer, No. I've read lots of travel forums where people are encouraging others to cancel their trips and remain at home, they're saying it's safer. The countries i'm visiting and planning to visit are closer to China where the virus originated, but it doesn't mean they're more likely to have high infection rates. The countries in South East Asia were quicker to close their borders to anyone from china and from those who have visited high risk areas, Vietnam in particular quickly put measures in place to reduce the likely-hood of the virus spreading such as closing schools. Again, I'm not saying everyone should jump on a plane out here - but so many places are affected now, I don't see us as being less safe here than anywhere else. Saying that, we are keeping a close watch on the World Health Organisations website, and avoiding countries as recommended.
We do have questions about the future - Will we be able to visit everywhere we want? What happens if a country turns us away? Will Australia let us in to work after we've visited so many places? What happens if we do have to head home? We'll have to cross those bridges when they appear and for now we're just trying not to worry so much. We'll carry on our plans, just with cleaner hands and keeping our distance from sneezers.
I'll be keeping this Coronavirus blog going, talking about issues as they arise, how we're feeling and the impact it's having on our travels.
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