Coronavirus fear is spreading and putting trips in limbo.
The only thing spreading faster than the new coronavirus itself is the travel anxiety associated with it. Thousands of cases have popped up around the world, and while they are primarily in China, everyone is on high alert from South Korea to Italy to the United States.
What are everyday people doing in the face of such unprecedented anxiety? The USA TODAY Travel team spoke with people who planned – and in some cases, are still planning – to travel to Asia and beyond as the outbreak continues.
As of Monday, there were nearly 89,300 cases worldwide, most of which are in Asia. But the number of cases in Europe and the Middle East has recently surged, and the Caribbean, too, has its first cases..
If these travelers’ stories are any indication, this is just the beginning of the impact the coronavirus will have for all travelers in 2020.
Japan’s tourist organization remains optimistic in the wake of the coronavirus. “The cherry blossoms will certainly be blossoming this spring, and we expect there will continue to be great interest amongst American travelers in coming to see them,” Keiko Matsuura of the Japan National Tourism Organization told USA TODAY.
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