On this page, you'll find all historical Coronavirus updates. To see the latest Coronavirus updates and all current information, please visit our Travel Alerts Page.
In order to help customers who have questions about Coronavirus, please read our latest update below.
Policy coverage position
Our policies contain exclusions relating to an epidemic or pandemic and also known events in the mass media.
Therefore, regardless of when you purchased your policy and the destination:
Emergency response assistance
Government Advice
Your duty to mitigate costs
When submitting a claim, you must do everything you can to minimise and reduce the cost of your claim and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred. If your travel has been affected, we recommend you contact your airline and accommodation provider as soon as possible if you would like to amend your travel plans.
Some airlines have announced they are offering refunds, and some are even offering to waive cancellation fees. Some hotel providers have issued statements that they will offer free cancellations on all bookings in countries affected by the coronavirus.
For historical Coronavirus travel alerts, please visit this page.
It is always our priority to assist our customers when they need help. If you are overseas and have contracted the Coronavirus or have developed symptoms, please contact our 24/7 Emergency Assistance team on +61 2 8776 3010.
The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been widely reported in the media and continues to make headlines around the world.
The Australian Government (DFAT) raised its travel advice level to 'Do Not Travel' to all of China on 2 February 2020.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a global health emergency on 30 January 2020.
All of our policies contain exclusions relating to an epidemic or pandemic and also known events in the mass media. Therefore it is unlikely that any claim for cancellation of your trip (to anywhere in the world) will be covered if it relates to the coronavirus. However, we will assess each claim based on its individual facts and circumstances and policy terms and conditions.
Your policy requires you to mitigate your costs. If your travel has been affected, we recommend you contact your airline and accommodation provider as soon as possible if you would like to amend your travel plans in and out of China.
Some airlines have announced they are offering refunds for travel to and from mainland China, and some are even offering to waive cancellation fees. Some hotel providers have issued statements that they will offer free cancellations on all bookings in Wuhan or in greater China.
For historical Coronavirus travel alerts, please visit this page.
The Australian Government (DFAT) raised its travel advice level to 'Do Not Travel' to all of Hubei Province, China on 25 January 2020.
The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has been widely reported in the media and by authorities such as the World Health Organisation (WHO), and continues to make headlines around the world. The situation of the outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, has rapidly escalated. There are now more than 4,500 reported cases in mainland China.
Travel restrictions have been heightened and wearing masks in public is now mandatory in some cities. The outbreak of the virus comes during the Lunar New Year celebration resulting in an expected increase in travel disruptions.
For any policies that may offer cover for risks associated with contagious disease, there is unlikely to be any cover for claims arising from any event related to coronavirus (2019-nCoV) for travel to and/or from China on policies purchased after: 10:00am AEDT on Saturday, 25 January 2020.
Policies purchased before the time above may be subject to exclusions relating to an epidemic or pandemic. Please read your policy wording for the full policy terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions.
Chinese authorities have identified an outbreak of a new type of Coronavirus, in Wuhan City in Hubei Province, China.
We are aware of concerns regarding travel to China and destinations with known cases of the Coronavirus. We are continuing to monitor this issue in association with the relevant travel, government and health bodies. Chinese officials have reviewed this health concern and travel outbound from Wuhan has been restricted.
We advise all customers who are travelling to, or are already in the affected areas, to take care and please do not hesitate to contact our emergency assistance if you need help.
We also urge all travellers to remain up-to-date with the latest travel advice for China from Smartraveller.
If you already have travel booked and you are concerned about whether you should travel to China, we recommend that you contact your airline, hotel and tour providers regarding the best option in altering your trip. There is no provision to claim under your policy for change of mind or fear of travel. Some travel service providers may provide penalty-free options to amend travel arrangements.
If you were planning on travelling to Wuhan, you must have purchased a policy before 11:59PM (ASDT), 22 January in order to be covered. If you entered into a policy after 11:59PM on the 22 January 2020, we would expect that this was done with an awareness of this event, the upgraded travel warning for Wuhan and the applied travel restrictions. Limits, conditions and exclusions apply under your policy and for full details you should refer to the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Certificate of Insurance you received when you purchased your travel insurance.
To see the latest Coronavirus updates and all current information, please visit our Travel Alerts Page.
From Overseas
(+) 61 2 8776 3010
Within Australia:
1300 884 508