I may be spared from the European travel ban, but I’m not looking forward to a potential quarantine upon reaching the USA…
I listened to President Trump’s speech last night from the bed of my hotel…in Accra, Ghana. My jaw literally dropped as he seemed to indicate that all commercial and cargo air travel from Europe to the USA, except from the UK, would be suspended for 30 days. While Trump hinted that there would be some exceptions, my immediate assumption was that the ban applied to everyone, even U.S. passport holders.
I still wasn’t worried about getting home, as the President stated that travel would not be halted from the UK, but I worried that everyone would shift their transatlantic travel to London, filling up flights quickly. I was also concerned that even if I found a way home, I might be subject to a quarantine, as are U.S. citizens now returning from China, even if they do not exhibit signs of illness.
So I sprang into action. I placed a couple British Airways flights that would take me from Accra to Los Angeles via London tonight on hold with American Airlines. I also booked a United ticket from London to Los Angeles.
This was all during the President’s speech.
But after the speech, DHS quickly clarified that U.S. citizens were exempt from the ban. There will be health screenings, no doubt, for everyone entering the USA. It may be that my Global Entry will stop functioning. But the ban applies only to foreign nationals who have been in the Schengen Area over the last 14 days, effective tomorrow (13 March) at 11:59 PM EDT.
That took some of the pressure off. Flights to the USA will likely be packed today and tomorrow. But from Saturday forward, flights will be empty. Most flights will likely be cancelled, but if I return via London I don’t think I’ll have trouble securing space.
I was going to do a post on it today, but I’ll provide some details here. I’m not in Africa on holiday. I’m here on a review trip and to visit four new countries. I’m also looking at a couple stops in Europe on the way back for my import-export business (as a sidetone, please reach out to me if you can supply N95 masks…our customers have great demand). Thus, I have no return booked yet. And despite the fear that surrounds travel now, I’m not really wanting to just abort the trip and come home, especially if this is the last major international trip I will be able to do for many weeks (and potentially months).
So my wife and business partner want me back. Maybe that is reason enough alone. Then again, they always want me back whenever I step foot outside the country. I’ve spent a lot of time and money to get to where I am in Africa and don’t want to throw in the towel just yet, especially when U.S. citizens are spared from the new European ban.
I’d welcome your thoughts on this, but am really leaning toward just sticking it out and worst-case scenario, fly Delta home from Accra or Lagos if the U.S. does begin quarantining Americans who have visited Europe and do not otherwise show signs of sickness.
Matthew this is crazy. You need to get back to the US now, especially since you have a wife and a child at home.
Get back home. Business can wait. Family is priority. BTW, I would imagine if you need medical assistance you would be better off to be in the US than in Ghana.
I think you should stay and take precautions. You’re young and there already. So finish what you came up accomplish. Who knows when you’ll be able to return.
I’m in the same boat Matt! But I’m in Tanzania. I decided to stick with my plan although also am hoping not to get stuck somewhere in the world separated from my husband and daughter in the US. I hope I made the right decision. I’m flying back five days after the ban goes into effect . Good luck
Things are really crazy right now, mostly thanks to media hype riling people into a frenzy. Because of the reaction (more than the actual virus), things are unpredictable right now. Hard to tell where this is heading. I’d recommend that you head home – your family needs you.
Couldn’t agree more. Fox News basically saying it’s all a hoax is truly a travesty.
I would say this is something you will have to discuss with your family today and take their thoughts into consideration. I wouldn’t want my family and friends in emotional distress over this and maybe you can reach a compromise, where you continue your travels but stay away from continental Europe.
This is very sound thinking. If they want you home then go home
And what if they want me not to work at all any longer? There has to be a balance.
According to Mike Pence’s interview this morning with Fox News they will be asking all returning US citizens that have been in the Schengen region to self-quarantine for 2 weeks upon return into the USA but i don’t know how they’ll enforce that.
Unfortunately, in the present situation you can’t assume you are OK (see, e.g., Tom Hanks and wife). You do not want to come down with this virus in Ghana. Head for home asap.
At the moment you are safer in Ghana then in the US :).
Anyway: more and more travel restrictions are popping up all over Europe and it will get worse before it gets better. I’d avoid the chances of getting tangled up in those restrictions, enjoy Ghana and get home from there.
Just bring toilet paper home with you, there’s none left
I warned Heidi she better order some and she just texted me saying it’s too late…all sold out on Amazon and at the grocery stores. And we’re out…lol. That’s reason enough for me to come home. I’m going to have to load up at these hotels…
I have 3 cases of 3m 8210 N95 masks. It’s the last of my stock. 160 masks a case. 8 boxes of 20 masks in a case. Houston based. I’ve been selling fast.
You are a moron if you think that hopping around Europe trying to source masks is a good idea right now. Get out of Ghana, get back to the US.
The damage is already done. If your wife is ok with it then you should continue.
This is not a terrorist attack. And you are not 80 year old. You will be fine. You might have to quarantine but probably won’t die.
But i think you should qurantine whether you cringe back now or 10 days from now. So continue with your trip.
*Whether you come
Come back home, Matthew. If for nothing else than peace of mind for your wife and family. Best wishes.
Go home, Matthew. It is only money. Your people need you.
Matthew, I agree with the others that you should return back to the United States now, especially as you have a wife and a child at home. I was in Africa myself, though further south —South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. I just returned a few days ago. I’m holding off on all international trips for at least a few months.
Why come home? Why not do some reviews and business in Northern Italy? How about a review of the wet market in Wuhan?
Matthew, you better enjoy this trip. It might be your last for a while.
On the bright side this should hopefully put out of business a lot of the travel bloggers. I do hope you manage to stay around though. I enjoy your different perspective on things.
I’d stay and get the business done. The economy, and certainly travel, is going to be grinding to a halt over the next few weeks and if you can eek out a little business now by staying, do it. Quarantine might be an inevitability upon return at this point, but absent a giant overreach in authority, there’s no legal way to block the reentry of a US citizen, so you’ll definitely be allowed back in. That said, I’d imagine that all flights to the US from Schengen will cease after the next week or so (as residents are repatriated), so if you do return via Europe, you’ll need to reenter the US through a 3rd country.
Go back home
I would get back because if you get sick, medical care in Ghana is not up to standard. In the US, medical care is good but there are certain gaps. For example, if you are in rural eastern Montana, access to a neurosurgeon after a brain injury from falling off a horse is probably worse than if you fell and injured your head at a Holiday Inn Express in Cincinnati. Oh wait, people who stay at a Holiday Inn Express are too smart to get a head injury.
Consider re-focusing your reviews because multiple trip reviews on empty planes are less helpful other than one or two saying how eerie the plane or airport is with fewer people. A business class review on an empty BA or QF flight is not as useful to the post-Covid-19 saga traveler.
Interestingly, the planes I have been on this week have been full(ish).
Just flew 4 legs on domestic routes with Delta two days ago. Not a single empty seat on any of the 4 planes. ATL airport was packed and it felt like a normal day in a busy airport. As expected, Delta lounge had no empty seats. It might change in the upcoming days but as of now I don’t see people changing their routine. BTW, Spring break is kicking in in my State and I don’t know anyone other then me that is staying home (I had family coming to visit from overseas but that got cancelled so no going anywhere).
How big were the planes and what routes were you taking? It’s also possible these people were simply wrapping up business travels or taking flights to get back home now in case they couldn’t later.
BUR-SFO-IAD//DCA-EWR-CPT
SFO-IAD not full in Y. Others pretty full in both cabins.
GO HOME NOW! Your wife and kid are home without you and these little details dont matter. what matters to them is your safety and their safety.
After closing your business deals in Ghana, please return home ASAP. Your family is far more important than your travel blog.
If I was young, single and childless, I would say the increasing possibility that it could take you a few additional weeks or month to get home (due to cancellations, possible quarantine, etc.) is something I might risk. But I am not, so I just today cancelled my next international business trip due to start this weekend. Even though connecting through LHR, I’ve been hearing rumors that the UK could get closed like the Schengen at any time. I am not a panicky person, I could just see the situation deteriorating. I will probably be one of the first back in the air once the virus passes.
But either way, I look forward to your article about the difficulties of getting home now or later, and glad it is not me who is living it.
Let’s say you stay, finish up and eventually get home safely. You may feel accomplished, but you’ll have lost. Big time. Your most important role is not to review Ghana for your readers. Your focus should be your family. Get home ASAP, not because I’m predicting a doomsday scenario, but because taking your title as husband/father doesn’t mean getting your loved ones upgrades into Polaris. Those are perks. But they want you with them in the last row of coach.
My focus is my family, which is why I take these trips. It’s why I write four stories a day on the blog before putting in another 10-12 hours in my other business. I’m not in Ghana or Togo to goof off. I am a travel writer and a wholesaler. Work requires me to travel…it’s not always ideal, including in this case. But my focus is always my family.
@Matthew
What made you think it was a good idea to go to Africa in the middle of Coronavirus? You weren’t there in early February when we thought it was contained in East Asia but this must have been a recent trip. It’s this cavalier attitude that allowed the disease to spread. I don’t mean to berate you as what is done is done but what were you thinking?
This Travel Ban of European citizens is helpful as it means less people with the virus spreading it, less strain on screening upon arrival, less use of resources if they do get sick in the U.S. and less tourists and businesspeople staying in hotels and going around instead of citizens being isolated at home for 14 days after arrival potentially. I do wish it went farther and not only everyone in Europe but everyone around the world banned for 30 days from entering the U.S., citizen or no citizen. Stopping travel is what prevents spread of these clusters.
Whether it’s tomorrow or the end of the week, I’ll soon be home and hunkering down myself.
Maybe you could self isolate at one of Trump’s golfing properties in the UK or Ireland, which “somehow” avoided the ban.
I’ll second what HChris is saying. You and Heidi really should have a frank discussion, but if she wants you home, then that’s exactly what I’d do. Seems like a reasonable compromise is to finish your business in Ghana and then head home from there.
I’m fortunate that I have a stable job that will survive this mess, but I feel for all the small businesses like you out there. It’s going to get extremely ugly over the next couple of months.
And I’m going to second this second (thirding?). I know that I’ve had a hard time accepting that we’re simply in a different paradigm now … but I’ve finally gotten there. Regardless of my personal opinion about this situation, we are where we are. And I know that my wife is anxious and definitely prefers me around, even though I was sad to cancel my travel to Italy. (Though by now, all of my motivations for making that trip have vanished; I would not even be able to carry out the business I was going there to do).
So, yeah, I don’t mean to sound judgmental, but I’d recommend that you try to get a good feel for what your family wants and factor that into your thinking. I also think that finishing up in Ghana and coming back to California is a good idea.
I mean, Trump is talking about possibly instituting travel restrictions between California and the rest of the US, but if you wanna hang out in Africa for a few weeks go for it.
I would echo others in saying the EU travel ban is just the tip of the iceberg and you bear a significant risk of getting stuck in Ghana if you don’t get out soon. As of now, it’s not clear whether you will be “safer” from contracting the virus in Ghana (given that it seems they are taking active measures to deal with it now and they currently don’t have any reported cases), so this is more of a choice of whether you want to ensure you can get back to your family or if you are willing to be stuck in Ghana. Personally, I would go home immediately before I couldn’t. Even if you contract coronavirus, you are unlikely to have severe complications and if you do, I’d much rather deal with that here and with my family.
There are two cases in Ghana.
Two reported cases om Ghana…who knows if any more beyond that that haven’t been reported.
If you have any issues while in Ghana (or getting out of Ghana for any reason), get in touch with me and I can assist. You should have my email from my registration here, otherwise our mutual friend Ben (lucky) can help you get in touch with me.
Thanks Sean!
Putting aside the risk of you getting quarantined or sick, how would things play out if you were overseas and your wife is got sick? Are there others nearby that could tend to her and care for your son while you worked to get home? I realize that, as a (presumably) young and healthy person, the risk of her getting sick enough to require care is low, but there are many unknowns right now and, in the end, there is a risk. I would neither want my husband alone with my daughter at home while I was overseas nor him be overseas while I stayed home.
We have a support network in place, including my parents just a few minutes away and wonderful neighbors on our street.
The broader issue is that I’m not on vacation or traveling for the heck of it…it’s what I do and how I put bread on the table. My wife supports that fully. When I said she wants me home above, it is not because she literally needs me to do something…she just likes being around me and I like being around her. If she wasn’t so busy she’d be with me in Africa…that’s where she’d rather be.
Too much fear mongering about this GOP virus. A few weeks ago people wouldn’t take it seriously making comparison with the flu and how few people have died compared to flu.
People are just amazingly stupid making decisions just based on the immediate past. The only danger is if you bring the virus and pass it to your family. So you will need to quarantine whether you come now or later. Unless you want to chance it with your kid and parents.
So don’t worry about this GOP virus. It’s not that powerful or useful just like the party its named after that let it spread in the US.
Be like Kyle and just go on a cheap mileage run for giggles. Of course it’s fine.
You strike me as a very sensible person (well, at least in things other than some dietary choices..), so you will be well-aware of the need to avoid infection ( even if you are likely to suffer few if any symptoms) so you don’t become part of the chain.
Europe is likely to be shut, so I’m not sure there’ll be much productivity in your visit.
I wouldn’t linger too long before heading home.
We can only hope ( “hope”, in the absence of resources) that this infection does not spread through Africa; the thought is too awful to contemplate.
You’re more likely to get infected in the USA as you are anywhere else to be honest at this point. Maybe cut the trip short but dont get hysterical and hop on the next flight home.
Seems to me Ghana is not more unsafe than US right now. So I would complete the trip as planned.
I have been on 6 flights recently and contrary to my expectation, all flights were quite full with 2 of them completely packed.
DEBIT still a LiberaI IDIOT
From someone working in the industry, I would recommend you to go home within the next couple of days.
I’m single with no children. I could easily stay in Ghana. You’re not in my scenario. Go home now and be with your family..
Another problem is the inability to effectively manage your travel with the airlines and hotels in the current environment. For example, though it does not seem to have gotten much attention, Amex Travel has effectively ceased to function under the pressure.
What makes this tough is how quickly policies can change and you don’t want to get trapped outside the US. Depending on how long the trip is and as long as you have a plan B to get home in 24-48 notice (which might mean using miles so you can change/cancel as ended), I can see you finishing it out as long as your wife is comfortable with that. These are unnerving times for all so you don’t want to unintentionally add to that with your family.
Matthew, I found your article because I am a US citizen in Salamanca Spain (having come here to study Spanish for 3 months). I did not leave last weekend because of all the crowds and airline panic…Now I am considering a flight out of Madrid tomorrow…Madrid-Paris-Boston-Pittsburgh…not fun sounding and I don’t want to do it. BUT, if I were you, I would go back to your family. I am a retired widow, no particular responsibilities back home and I am in a safe place here. As I read through the comments, I don’t really know if you want advice, as the majority of the responses are encouraging you to go home, but you continue to come up with reasons to stay away…Anyway, go home! Then write a blog entry about how it all turned out!
Hi Phil, I’m home! I wrote about it here:
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com/2020/03/16/usa-post-ban-immigration-experience/
Hello!
I’m facing a similar dilemma. I am in Hungary for study abroad. I am currently staying in the dorms with my group of friends (all whom are planning on staying here in Hungary till July, like we all initially planned). My family doesn’t care what I do, since I am an adult. Of course they would rather me head home, but I am supposed to be here till July, so getting ‘stuck’ in Europe for a few months might not be the worst thing. A lot of students have left, and a lot of students are also choosing to stay. There are two other American’s in the dorms with me. I don’t know if I should stay- or if I should leave. I’m not sure what the future holds, but I almost would rather hunker down and stick it out here. I am 24, and in good health. I am not concerned about getting sick.. I am concerned about what will happen if mass hysteria appears here. I also don’t want to travel through the airports at this time. If I go home and give it to my parents I would feel horrible.
So I am also in the boat. I want to stay, but for logical reasons, feel like home would be the safest.