Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Update: 12 March 2020 Love The Oceans programs remain operational for March, April, May, June, July, August, September & October 2020.
Love The Oceans (LTO) is monitoring the outbreak of respiratory illness caused by the novel (new) coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. While more information about the behavior of the virus is emerging every day, many uncertainties still remain. Drawing on information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa (ACDC) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Public Health England (PHE) we will continue to update our information.
Has LTO cancelled my program?
No. At Love The Oceans, we refer primarily to the UK Government Foreign Travel Advice website. LTO will not cancel or delay a program unless the UK sets an advisory level specific to Inhambane, Mozambique at ‘Do Not Travel’. If you haven’t heard from us, then there have been no changes to your program at this point in time. We will be in touch with you if your program will be cancelled.
Based on the current UK advisory Love The Oceans programs in March, April, May, June, July, August, September & October 2020 will be running.
If LTO cancels my program, when and how will I be informed?
We only cancel programs either where the UK government advisory board (such as the UK FCO) set the advice level for Inhambane, Mozambique to ‘Do Not Travel’, or where an operational restriction (such as the closure of the Mozambique border) would prevent Love The Oceans from running the program as intended.
If your program is cancelled, we will be in touch with you as soon as we can via email.
What happens if LTOs cancels my program?
If LTO cancels your program, you can choose to:
- Receive a full refund
- Transfer amounts you have already paid to an alternate program at a later date in 2020; if the program you select is longer or more expensive, you will be invoiced for the difference in price, and if the program is shorter your final invoice will be adjusted accordingly
If you’d like to cancel your booking, please get in touch with us directly to discuss your options. Please note that cancellation fees and refunds are governed by the LTO Terms & Conditions and apply only to your Love The Oceans program – airlines and other travel providers may charge additional fees so we recommend getting in touch directly with your travel insurance provider to enquire about your coverage.
I’m not traveling until later in the year, should I cancel or get in touch?
At this point, unless we have notified you that your program has been cancelled, it will be going ahead as normal. Until then we recommend monitoring the situation in your home country and Mozambique by following your relevant government travel advisory or staying up to date with LTO’s travel alerts in our news feed.
We recommend you keep monitoring the situation and if you have travel plans already booked please check your travel insurance policy and also reach out directly to your airline/hotel/bus/program operator – getting the facts directly from them (not social media!) is the best way to help you make a decision about what to do. It’s important to remember the containment of the coronavirus is an unfolding situation, and circumstances will likely change significantly in the next few months. This means choosing to cancel or delay your booking now may result in unnecessary cancellation and amendment fees.
What is coronavirus and what are the symptoms?
Coronavirus is a respiratory virus that causes pneumonia. Other examples of the virus are severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), outbreaks of which occurred in 2002 and 2012 respectively. This latest strain is a new variation that originated from animals, although human-to-human transmission has been confirmed. The World Health Organization (WHO) has renamed the disease ‘coronavirus disease 2019’ (abbreviated COVID-19). Additionally, the virus causing the disease has been named ‘severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2’ (abbreviated SARS-CoV-2).
Symptoms include cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headache and breathing difficulties.
The World Health Organization has declared coronavirus a pandemic. Additional information can be found here.
- World Health Organization
- Africa Centres for Disease Control
- US Centers for Disease Control
- Public Health England (PHE)
The mainstay of prevention for this and any flu-like illnesses remains a focus on good health hygiene practices. These include:
- staying home from university/work when ill
- social distancing
- washing hands with soap and water
- avoiding the touching of the face, nose and mouth
- covering coughs and sneezes
I have travelled to a destination that has been affected by COVID-19 – can I still travel to Mozambique?
It is important to note that every country or territory has its own rules for who can enter or exit through its borders.
Staff/Volunteers who have travelled through – China, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Iran
- If you have been in or travelled through these countries within the last 14 days it will be necessary for you to self-quarantine for 14 days from your date of return and monitor your health – even if you have no symptoms. If you remain well, you may return to work afterwards.
- If, during this time, you experience symptoms (fever, cough, difficulty with breathing), take steps to immediately isolate yourself avoiding touching your face, nose and mouth, wear a surgical mask if available, seek medical advice and do not come to site/work while ill.
Staff/Volunteers who have travelled through Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Macau
- If you have been in, or travelled through, these countries/regions within the last 14 days, and you do not have any symptoms, there is no requirement to self-quarantine.
- If you have been in, or travelled through, these countries/regions within the last 14 days, AND are experiencing symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath or other respiratory symptoms, you should seek medical advice and do not come to site/work while ill.
Where can I find more travel advice?
Most countries’ governments provide their own travel advice. We recommend travelers consult their local advisory for advice. See below for links to some of the larger ones: