Disclaimer: I do not work for any government, SafetyWing, or World Nomads, nor am I a doctor. For any medical or travel advice please contact a medical professional, or follow the CDC guidelines. The information in this article can change at any moment, and for the most up to date information please refer to the links provided. Lastly, this article may contain affiliate links, which, at no cost to you, may earn us a small commision.
Stuck abroad with no insurance? You can still get Coronavirus covered by travel health insurance!
No one could have predicted what’s happening today, or how fast everything is changing. That being said, a lot of us who were abroad when this all happened are being forced to make difficult decisions.
Unfortunately, most insurances have a clause excluding pandemics or have a cut-off date meaning if you haven’t purchased insurance before now then you’re out of luck.
HOWEVER, there is still an amazing and cheap option!
So there you have it! For those of you staying in Bali, relocating to Thailand, or are simply overseas and are looking for a way to be covered, SafetyWing is a great option.
SafetyWing is also unique in that it allows you to take out a policy while you are already overseas.
- Warning Issued before you arrive: If the CDC issues a Warning Level 3 for your location before you arrive, or you purchase your policy after it was issued then you are not covered.
- Warning Issued while you are in the location: If you were already in a location and had an insurance policy purchased when the CDC issued a Warning Level 3, then you are covered for 10 days. After that 10 period, you will no longer be covered.
This should give some relief to those in Southeast Asia, because as of now (March 13th 2020), the only countries that have CDC issued warnings in Asia are China and South Korea.
Relevant Links
Note, the lists are changing and updating daily. You can check all current Travel Health Notices at the CDC website:
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices
You can also see an interactive color-coded map here:
https://travelmaps.state.gov/TSGMap/
For a full description of SafetyWing and its policies regarding Coronavirus, please refer to their website (click the red coronavirus tab on the header).
Hopefully this helps and gives those of you abroad some peace of mind. It’s not too late to take out coverage, as long as you’re in an area that hasn’t been issued a Warning Level 3.
If the area you are in is issued that warning, with SafetyWing, you still have 10 days of coverage. By practicing social isolation, if you aren’t showing symptoms by the end of the 10 days you should be okay.I
The best thing we can all do in this situation is stay inside. The CDC has an entire section dedicated to the Coronavirus. The page has advice on how to protect yourself and what you should do if you think you are infected, along with symptoms and guidelines for self-isolation.
Aside from SafetyWing, World Nomads is another popular option, but unfortunately it seems that ONLY US CITIZENS/RESIDENTS are still covered for Coronavirus. They have clauses that exempt other parts of the world (e.g. Australia) that include cut-off dates.
➥ You can view World Nomad’s entire FAQ and policies by region here.
Personally, as a US Citizen, I prefer SafetyWing as it is cheaper (I pay about $40 a month). You can get a quote below or on their website.
No one knows what will happen or how long the Coronavirus crisis will last, but I urge all of you that are still abroad to please be safe by taking sanitary precautions and making sure you are covered just in case!
The quicker we all work together the quicker this will be over! Stay safe everyone and remember to be kind during these tough times <3