Coronavirus (COVID-19) On Minds Of Chaska High School Parents As Band, Choir Head To Spain
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Parents of some of the members of Chaska High School band and choir are keeping their eyes on the spread of COVID-19 over in Europe as their kids prepare to go to Spain for spring break.
Parent Nikolas Hellman says he's trying not to worry too much.
"As of right now, I'm not concerning myself with it," Hellman said.
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Sarah Prescher is also trying to tamp down her worries.
"Initially I felt a little nervous. I think most parents would feel nervous," Prescher said.
The trip is still on for now, but the Carver County School District is tracking the spread of the virus throughout Europe, and are communicating often with parents. Officials gave this statement Thursday to WCCO:
Our students' safety and health is our utmost concern, and we are closely monitoring U.S. Department of State travel advisories and working with our travel agency to determine next steps and mitigate any potential financial impact.
Kyle Potter, editor in chief of "Thrifty Traveler," says standard travel insurance doesn't protect cancelled flights due to global health scares.
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"If you decide later on you're uncomfortable traveling and you cancel, you're not going to be able to recoup any of your travel costs," Potter said.
Health experts say the most vulnerable people to contracting COVID-19 are people above 60 with underlying health conditions. But young, healthy people could still run into inconveniences with this virus.
"If they changed it to a level 4, which would say, you know, no non-essential travel, then we would cancel, of course we would," Prescher said. "I guess I'm a little more worried about her not, you know, being in quarantine, or not coming back on time."
WCCO spoke to Dr. Mark Sannes, an infectious disease doctor with Park Nicollet. He advises that people follow the travel guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control, who are placing travel warning levels in countries that are the riskiest to travel to.