The present Diamond Princess cruise ship with coronavirus outbreak has urged us to revisit our travel checklist when visiting any country.

Travel advisories are of four types -

• Level 1 in all countries (Exercise normal standard hygiene precautions)
• Level 2 in all affected countries (Exercise a high degree of caution)
• Level 3 in all countries with secondary cases (Reconsider need to travel)
• Level 4 in affected parts of China and Korea (Do not travel) 

1. Keep the possibility of being quarantined for 14 days in any country.
2. Carry at least 20 days extra essential medicines stock.
3. Always keep the passport, kept in a plastic pouch, in a safe front pocket with you in case you need to leave the country in emergency.
4. Always carry your medicines’ authentic prescription with you with generic names of the drugs.
5. Always carry some dry fruits with you.
6. Always book a refundable air ticket even if they are 10% costlier.
7. Always carry a photocopy of passport and visa.
8. Always get travel insurance. Remember most standard policies wont cover you for Do not travel destinations.
9. Understand that you could die. Make sure you have an up-to-date will and an abiding power of attorney. Designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries.
10. Never travel to countries with level 4 warnings (Do not travel), like for Wuhan in China.
11. For level 3 warning (like currently India for Singapore), travel only if must, and minimize time spent in airports by scheduling direct flights, if possible. Avoid stopovers at high-risk airports. Stay for as short a time as possible. Eliminate unnecessary activities.
12. Leave an area at the first sign of unrest, or if you feel uneasy.

Dr KK Aggarwal

President CMAAO, HCFI and Past National President IMA