UK: ABI tells travellers to check their cover before setting off
Travellers are being urged to check with their insurance companies before they visit areas affected by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), in case they are not covered for their trip.
Many companies have withdrawn cover for areas that have been subject to Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advices, that is Hong Kong, Beijing, and China’s Guangdong and Shanxi provinces. A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) reportedly told the Daily Telegraph: “We strongly advise people travelling to areas affected areas, particularly China, to speak to their insurers and obtain written confirmation of what and where they are insured for before they depart.”
The newspaper reports that many insurance companies are still not offering SARS cover for areas that do not have warnings, including Toronto, Vietnam and other parts of China. For example, Columbus Direct is no longer offering cover for China or Hong Kong.
A spokesman reportedly told the newspaper: “We feel this is ethically the right thing to do. Some specialists are keeping their books open but we feel this sends the wrong message to the customer, that it is safe to travel to these areas.”
