All travel to European countries approved by the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District has been cancelled.
The district says the cancellations apply to trips booked to the end of April, and are due to safety concerns associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.
A total of 17 trips and about 475 students and chaperones are affected, as per the latest announcement. Other trip destinations are being monitored, and may be cancelled, said the NLESD in a media release Tuesday.
“This decision is not taken lightly,” said district CEO Tony Stack in the release.
“This precautionary measure is designed to reduce the risk of having students exposed to the virus, or being quarantined in a foreign country, or upon their return to Canada. It’s just not a risk we are willing to take.”
The district says it can cancel a trip up to 24 hours before departure if it’s to a country that has been deemed a risk related to the novel corona virus.
However, when it comes to a trip to a country that does not have a formal risk declaration, as per the federal government’s travel advisory list, relating to the virus, “there is no guarantee travel insurance purchased by parents will be honoured — regardless of whether the district cancels the trip,” reads the statement.
But by cancelling the trips because of a specific risk, in this case the spread of COVID-19, that will allow people to be compensated in some way, said the NLESD.
That includes full or partial reimbursement, rerouting to other destinations, scheduling the trip for a later date, or issuing vouchers for future travel.
Story Courtesy of the CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.