Covid-19, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Insurance, Tourism, Transport

PZU Kindlustus, the Estonian operation of international insurance group PZU, on Friday advised against international travel in the light of accelerated spread of COVID-19 as various states are increasingly establishing new restrictions and Estonian tourists have already run into difficulties in the rapidly changing circumstances.

"A car insurance company recommending to avoid all travel by car due to a risk of accident would be comparable to this advice," Saarend said in a press release.

Saarend said that Estravel in cooperation with its insurance partner Salva Kindlustus has for some time already been offering an addition to travel insurance that covers expenditure on hospital care and changes in the customer's means of travel to their home country should they contract the coronavirus while abroad, regardless of whether or not the destination was regarded an at-risk area at the time.

"Some foreign states regard Estonia an at-risk area, even though we ourselves disagree," Saarend said.

According to member of the management board of Estravel Aivo Takis, the blind fear of travelling outside the Baltic states, which is at present prevalent in Estonia, is unjustified. 

"By travelling smartly, you will jeopardize neither yourself nor others, quite the contrary, in fact," he said.