Does your travel insurance cover the coronavirus?

Do you have travel insurance under your group insurance? Find out if you’re covered for COVID-19.

How to know the risks

In addition to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Public Health Agency of Canada is closely monitoring the novel coronavirus and its spread.

The latter evaluates the risk of a novel coronavirus epidemic.

When the risk level is raised to 3

This means that all non-essential travel should be avoided.

If the risk is elevated to 4

This means avoid all travel.

For what countries will it be possible for me to cancel my travel plans?

For information on the countries for which you will be able to cancel your trip and be reimbursed, consult the travel advisories issued by the Canadian government.

To be reimbursed, you must have trip cancellation and interruption insurance and both these conditions must be met:

• You booked your trip before the day on which the Canadian government issued a non-essential travel advisory.
• Your trip falls during the same period that the travel advisory is in effect.

Simply call your travel insurance company’s assistance service to submit a claim. You will be asked to provide all necessary invoices and receipts.

Hotel accommodations and airline tickets could also be reimbursed if they are not reimbursed by the travel provider.

I booked my trip after the travel advisory

Reimbursement, cancellation or repatriation will not be possible in this case.

I want to change itinerary

Some airlines, like Air Canada, are open to changing your flight to a destination other than the one for which a travel advisory was given.

Contact your airline to see what options are available to you.

Other destinations

For the moment, your travel insurance will not cover you as the Canadian government has not issued a level 3 or 4 travel advisory for other destinations.

This means that if you want to cancel your trip to the United States out of concern that you may contract the novel coronavirus, your travel insurance will not reimburse you.

However...

If the Canadian government were to issue a travel advisory for your destination, after you book a trip and purchase trip cancellation and interruption insurance, this too would qualify as a valid reason to submit a claim.