UPDATE: Global Coronavirus Outbreak: Where to now?

UPDATE: Global Coronavirus Outbreak: Where to now?

Issued 9:40PM AEDT, 20th March 2020.
Updated 10:30PM AEDT, 23rd March 2020.

Please note: There were previous messages related to the Coronavirus Outbreak. This is our latest position. As further information becomes available, we may add to the contents of this page.

As we all come to terms with the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), our focus is to support the Australian community wherever possible. For existing policy holders who have been impacted by the recent government decisions please read the latest travel alert below.

As of 23 March 2020 10.30pm (AEDT), we are temporarily ceasing to issue new travel insurance policies until the beginning of May 2020. We will review this position in line with future government decisions.
The Department of Foreign Affairs Trade (DFAT) travel advice for Australians has been upgraded to ‘Do Not Travel’ (Level 4) for the entire world.

Please check back regularly if you have a trip booked for a later date.

On 18 March 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison updated the travel advice for Australians to level four (Do Not Travel) for the entire world.

If you haven’t yet started your trip, you may be covered for the Cancellation Costs under our policies sold before 4pm on 31 January 2020 (AEDT).

When making a claim, we remind you it is a policy condition that you take reasonable steps to avoid or reduce any loss. For this reason, we suggest that all travellers contact your airlines, tour operators, travel agents, transport providers, or accommodation providers to seek refunds (or credits, if refunds are not possible). Subject to this, any outstanding out-of-pocket expenses may be submitted for consideration of payment. Please note that there may be some delays with airlines and hotels and other providers as they are experiencing high volumes of claims and enquiries at this time. If there is no necessity for you to cancel your trip at this time please consider waiting as the travel advice could change, allowing you to continue your travel as originally planned.

If you purchased your policy after 4pm on 31 January 2020 (AEDT), please note there is no cover available on any of our travel insurance policies if your claim relates to COVID-19. After this time, we consider COVID-19 to be a known incident. The travel insurance policy does not provide cover for any claims relating to an incident which you were aware of at the time you took out the insurance and which could reasonably be expected to lead to a claim. You should seek refunds from the relevant travel providers.

Our teams are working non-stop to serve all our customers and to review each customer’s situation as soon as possible. We are all affected by this unique situation, so we ask for your cooperation at this difficult time.

We strongly encourage you to gather all the information regarding your claim including evidence of all costs refunded and credited to you (if any) before lodging your claim by emailing allclearclaims@mapfre.com

Please note that while the level 4 alert is in place for the whole world, your Policy will now not cover you if your claim results from any overseas travel, including if you decide to remain overseas. For those overseas who wish to return to Australia, the Australian government recommends you do so as soon as possible by commercial means.

Whether or not you intend to return at this time, we urge you to stay abreast of the government updates via www.smartraveller.gov.au.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation during this unimaginable situation.

You will appreciate that the situation continuous to evolve and we encourage you to stay up to date with both our website and all relevant government advisory bodies.

This update is for information and assistance and does not alter the terms of your Policy.

Regards

The AllClear Team