Coronavirus (COVID-19) Respiratory illness - Effect on Travel

lovetravellingoz said:
I do not know who owns those particular businesses, but for many travel, and other businesses the harsh reality would be that if they refund 100% that they will go out of business, which also means in turn that they will not be able to refund everyone.
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I mostly agree with you, but the point I was making was that the theory behind keeping half the money if I cancel late is that they will have to pay pre booked hotels. That's fine. But I suspect their market power, especially in the out of the way places I book for, means that they will cancel those rooms without penalty.

I hear what you are saying about business sustainability, and it's a good point, but I'm not here to finance their cash flow. Having seen my super take a hit, I need to look after my own cash flow!
 
RooFlyer said:
I mostly agree with you, but the point I was making was that the theory behind keeping half the money if I cancel late is that they will have to pay pre booked hotels. That's fine. But I suspect their market power, especially in the out of the way places I book for, means that they will cancel those rooms without penalty.

I hear what you are saying about business sustainability, and it's a good point, but I'm not here to finance their cash flow. Having seen my super take a hit, I need to look after my own cash flow!
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I agree, and that was why I mentioned I do not know who owns them nor their business., not how deep their pockets

I was more making the point that some business if they try to refund en-masse will go out of business, and in turn they will not have the funds to refund before they do so. It is a horrible position to be in, but that is exactly where a number of businesses I deal with are at where I know the owner well.

Here in Oz there are now a raft of businesses that will be pushed under. A number that I do business with are hurting, and if this goes on long enough they will go under.


I went into my local fish and chip shop the other night at peak dinner time. Normally flat chat, but not one other customer there and no phone orders when I was there.
 
lovetravellingoz said:
Yes things are belatedly changing now. I know you quoted 5 Feb as the date that permission was given, but 29 Feb seems to be the date that is being reported as when private labs could use or create their own testing kits.


Controversies over the lack of diagnostic testing for the COVID-19 virus have dominated U.S headlines for weeks. Technical challenges with the first test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) left the nation with minimal diagnostic capacity during the first few weeks of the epidemic, according to a new paper published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association by Michelle Mello, a professor of medicine at Stanford Health Policy and professor of law at Stanford Law School.

On February 29, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began allowing high-complexity labs across the country to use tests they developed in-house. On March 5, the Stanford Clinical Virology Lab deployed its own test for patients at Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children’s Health.

law.stanford.edu

Stanford Law’s Michelle Mello on the Federal Rollout of Diagnostic Testing for the COVID-19 Virus | Stanford Law School

Controversies over the lack of diagnostic testing for the COVID-19 virus have dominated U.S headlines for weeks. Technical challenges with the first t
law.stanford.edu law.stanford.edu

Conclusion
Diagnostic testing is critical to an effective response to the novel coronavirus. As the US moves to make up for initial missteps, emerging evidence should guide policy and practice. The public health and medical communities should recognize the need to alter policy to fit changing circumstances and support consistent and compassionate messaging that recognizes both the benefits and limitations of testing.
jamanetwork.com

Diagnostic Testing for the Novel Coronavirus

This Viewpoint explains the technical and regulatory challenges that hampered diagnostic testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the early spread of infection in the US and considers the unintended consequences of making testing more widely available,...
jamanetwork.com jamanetwork.com

On Feb. 29, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it was relaxing the restrictions for the use of diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2 developed by laboratories in the United States that meet the certification guidelines for high-complexity testing. The new policy allows these laboratories to begin using in-house developed clinical tests for the virus before obtaining the agency’s approval through an emergency use authorization. The FDA noted that “Rapid detection of COVID-19 cases in the United States requires wide availability of diagnostic testing to control the emergence of this rapidly spreading, severe illness.” Laboratories developing their own tests are expected to apply for emergency use authorization from the FDA within 15 days.
med.stanford.edu

Stanford Medicine COVID-19 test now in use

The Stanford Clinical Virology Laboratory has deployed an in-house diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19. Rapid identification of infected people could help limit the spread of the virus.
med.stanford.edu med.stanford.edu

Part of the issue, the report said, is faulty COVID-19 testing kits issued to states by the CDC in early February. The kits were found to have "faulty negative controls," meaning the results of some test kits were inaccurate, and states had to continue sending test samples to the CDC for testing.

FDA policy prohibited states and private entities from developing their own test kits, meaning they only had access to the faulty FDA kits. The agency lifted that regulation on February 29, allowing states and commercial labs to create their own coronavirus testing kits.

www.businessinsider.com

The US government has completed fewer than 6,000 coronavirus tests as more states report new cases and deaths

"We don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward," Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com



techcrunch.com

FDA approves new coronavirus test that could speed rate of testing up to tenfold | TechCrunch

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted emergency approval for use of a new test that can increase the rate of testing patients by up to 10
techcrunch.com techcrunch.com


After testing delays, US COVID-19 cases surge past 900

The number of US cases of the novel coronavirus surged to more than 900, after public health experts criticised authorities for downplaying the epidemic and lagging behind in testing efforts.
telanganatoday.com
It relied on the same technology as one authorised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and deployed around the world — except that a fault meant the CDC kit was returning inconclusive results.

It was not until February 29, the date of the first US death and more than a month after the first confirmed US case, that the Food and Drug Administration lifted a ban on state laboratories developing their own kits based on the WHO’s tests.

“Adopting broader testing criteria and allowing use of a wider range of tests would have been helpful in identifying the first US cases and containing the spread,” said Michelle Mello of Stanford, a co-author of the JAMA report.
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No I quoted and said the 5th feb was permission for other public health labs-they are not private labs.I also said it was Feb 29th that CDC authorised private labs to begin testing.
With all of the articles you quote the definition is what you regard as a few weeks.The problem with the initial test was known by the 5th Feb and basically fixed.The first patient was identified on 20th January.
But I do agree at first the CDC were not recommending -therefore enabling- the test to be done on enough patients.Some states did however go outside those guidelines.

The CDC on the 5th February authorised State laboratories to test despite that not being authorised by the FDA.
The FDA is a totally different body to the CDC.
 
For the airline economists out there @trippin_the_rift etc would there be an economic advantage OVERALL to an airline shutting down completely for a few months rather than running empty planes. I ask because of the reasonably generous cancellation policies on some airlines .
 
I love to travel said:
For the airline economists out there @trippin_the_rift etc would there be an economic advantage OVERALL to an airline shutting down completely for a few months rather than running empty planes. I ask because of the reasonably generous cancellation policies on some airlines .
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The problem they have at present is they do not fly, that they lose their slots. Hopefully common sense will overcome the red tape and the normal rules on minimum flights to keep slots be suspended till ticket sales ramp up.
 
Spain has declared a state of emergency. Jet2 services to Spain have turned around mid-flight and heading back to their port of origin in the UK. Rumour is they will empty out then fly down to Spain empty to collect British holidaymakers.
 
lovetravellingoz said:
The problem they have at present is they do not fly, that they lose their slots. Hopefully common sense will overcome the red tape and the normal rules on minimum flights to keep slots be suspended till ticket sales ramp up.
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Some relief there:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (EC) granting the temporary suspension until June 2020 of the 80-20 “use it or lose it” rule for airport slots.
www.aviationpros.com

IATA Welcomes EU Suspension of Slot Use Rules

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (EC) granting the temporary suspension until June 2020 of the 80-20 “use...
www.aviationpros.com www.aviationpros.com
 
Must...Fly! said:
Spain has declared a state of emergency. Jet2 services to Spain have turned around mid-flight and heading back to their port of origin in the UK. Rumour is they will empty out then fly down to Spain empty to collect British holidaymakers.
Click to expand...

Spain looks like it's already lost the battle, the rest of Europe is a certainty. Time to lockdown travel across the board and let this things just die....
 
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amaroo said:
Spain looks like it's already lost the battle, the rest of Europe is a certainty. Time to lockdown travel across the board and let this things just die....
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Agreed.

Everyone needs to do it and do it now.

How much longer will the Australian Government wait to do it is the question...
 
I love to travel said:
For the airline economists out there @trippin_the_rift etc would there be an economic advantage OVERALL to an airline shutting down completely for a few months rather than running empty planes. I ask because of the reasonably generous cancellation policies on some airlines .
Click to expand...

Look it’s really not a one size fits all answer I’m afraid, like life!

It will depend on a huge range of things, financial health of the airline pre-Corona, financial structure of the business (loans, debt, capital lease structures), financial health and inclinations of the owners, relief/flexibility made available by the airlines government to do such a thing, relief available from their suppliers with fixed costs (Eg Airports), fixed contract arrangements - the list goes on and on.

Certainly if they went in wobbly it’s not a good start though.

Happy Trails said:
Some relief there:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (EC) granting the temporary suspension until June 2020 of the 80-20 “use it or lose it” rule for airport slots.
www.aviationpros.com

IATA Welcomes EU Suspension of Slot Use Rules

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) welcomed the announcement by the European Commission (EC) granting the temporary suspension until June 2020 of the 80-20 “use...
www.aviationpros.com www.aviationpros.com
Click to expand...

Finally. A good start. Others need to follow, now.
 
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