For those who must travel during the pandemic, being prepared involves being aware of the possibility of contracting COVID-19 as well as other illnesses.

Several airlines, including Emirates, have rolled special COVID-19-related insurance plans to comfort worried passengers, highlighting health and cleanliness improvements.

Emirates has announced that its multi-risk travel insurance will no longer apply to tickets purchased on or after December 1, 2021.

Emirates, which was the first airline to offer free COVID-19 medical cover, expanded its multi-risk travel insurance coverage last year. This applied to all tickets purchased and also extended to Emirate’s codeshare flights operated by partner airlines, as long as the ticket number starts with 176.

Highlights of the coverage included:

Out-of-country emergency medical expenses and emergency medical evacuation up to $500,000, valid for COVID-19 (contracted during the trip) and other medical emergencies while travelling abroad:

Trip cancellation up to $7,500 for non-refundable costs if the travellers or a relative (as defined in the policy) is unable to travel because they are diagnosed with COVID-19 before the scheduled trip departure date, or for other named reasons – like other comprehensive travel cover products.

Trip cancellation or curtailment up to $7,500 if the school year is extended due to COVID-19 beyond the departure date, and the travellers or a relative (as defined in the policy) is a full-time teacher, full-time employee, or a student at a primary or secondary school.

Trip curtailment up to $7,500 for non-refundable trip costs and additional costs to return to their country of residence if the travellers or a relative (as defined in the policy) falls critically ill, for instance, contracts COVID-19 while travelling abroad.

Travel abandonment up to $7,500 if the travellers fail a COVID-19-related test or medical screening at the airport and are required to abandon the trip; and

$150 per day per person, for up to 14 consecutive days if, while outside of their country of residence, the travellers’ tests positive for COVID-19, and if they are unexpectedly placed into a mandatory quarantine outside their country of residence by a governmental body.

If you’re planning on travelling, be sure to have travel insurance that covers COVID-19. There are several conventional comprehensive insurance policies that will not cover insured expenses if you cancel your trip because of COVID-19-related concerns, therefore it will be your responsibility to cover those costs.

The second tip is to get a comprehensive travel insurance policy with optional cancellation protection if your travel booking is non-refundable.

Finally, looking at various insurance websites might be advantageous; coverage possibilities will differ based on your destination, trip duration, and many other factors.

Source: Gulf News