CALGARY -- Staying close to home and stocking up on supplies are on the minds of many Albertans bracing for the coronavirus.
Alberta remained COVID-19 free as of March 2 according to chief medical officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw but —as coronavirus spreads throughout the world — more Albertans are considering their March break plans carefully.
"The coronavirus is very fluid so daily there are changes," said Onanta Forbes with Vision Travel. "What we really (try) to promote to our travellers is to look to the various websites that have up to date information like the Government of Canada website and the World Health Organization."
Travellers returning from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Italy are being asked to monitor their symptoms for 14 days after returning.
The same goes for anyone coming from Hubei province in China or Iran, but those travellers are also asked to take extra precautions and monitor their symptoms while remaining isolated in their homes for the two weeks.
Concerned Calgarians have begun stocking up on supplies. Many businesses have sold out of protective masks, others have bare toilet paper shelves, and companies selling preparedness products have seen increased demand.
Briden Solutions nearly doubled its staff in the past few days, going from six to 10 workers due to the demand for items including freeze-dried food and water filtration systems.
"The orders that came in for February are normally the amount of orders we see over six months," said Kristen Bullock, Briden Solutions' co-owner.
Though there is a backlog in the supply chain, she recommends people hoping to stock up put their orders in right away.
"It helps to get your place in line," she said, "because if you wait to be able to walk in and pick it off the shelf, you're going to be waiting for a long time."
When it comes to getaways though, Forbes says staying in the Americas instead can still offer a lot of flavour. "Street food in Mexico or going to a Texas roadhouse and enjoying smoked brisket and ribs."
She added some cruises are still a good choice as well. "The prices are so good right now. Get a veranda cabin."
She recommends travel insurance including options to cover cancellations for any reason, but adds that vendors are also trying to accommodate concerned travellers.
"They are looking at being very flexible with their change policy, perhaps their cancellation policy, providing a credit for future travel."
