COVID-19, or coronavirus, originated in China around December 2019. It has since caused a worldwide pandemic resulting in close to two million deaths and millions more infected, with numbers rising daily.

Most governments have put travel restrictions in place, and many are requiring visitors to have travel insurance that would provide coverage for COVID-19 in case the person were to get sick while on the trip in the destination country.

There are many international travel insurance plans available that cover COVID-19 like any other new sickness that occurs after the effective date of the policy.

Additionally, several countries—such as Costa Rica, Venezuela, Argentina, Thailand and more—have an additional requirement that the COVID-19 travel insurance should provide quarantine or accommodation expenses if the person were to test positive while in their destination country. Even travelers to New York have quarantine requirements.

Fortunately, there are several insurance plans to choose from:

Safe Travels Voyager travel insurance provides:

• COVID-19 medical coverage up to $250,000
• $2,000 in quarantine, lodging, or accommodation expenses. This coverage is included in the base policy for no additional cost. If the person desires, they can purchase up to $4,000 or even $7,000 in accommodation expenses for a nominal additional cost.
• Trip interruption coverage up to 150% of the trip cost.

Safe Travels International travel medical insurance provides:

• Policy maximum choices from $50,000 to $1,000,000 in primary medical coverage that covers COVID-19 just like any other new medical condition that occurs after the effective date of the policy.
• Travel Delay coverage, including (quarantine) accommodations and lodging for up to $2,000 ($150/day) (6 hours or more), is included with the option to upgrade up to $7,000 ($500/day).
• Trip interruption coverage up to $7,500.

Safe Travels International Cost Saver travel medical insurance provides:

• COVID-19 primary medical coverage up to $1,000,000, depending on the policy maximum choice.
• Trip delay benefit of $2,000 ($150/day) (6 hours or more) included for accommodations and lodging (quarantine coverage).
• Also covers trip interruption

Purchasing COVID-19 travel insurance with quarantine coverage is easy. You can make an instant purchase at any time on this website, even if you are departing to your destination the next day. Right away, after you make a purchase, you will be able to print the visa letter or confirmation of coverage letter from MyAccount that would clearly mention the COVID-19 medical coverage, as well as the quarantine coverage. The exact procedure to show this proof may vary by country, as described below.

US Residents

Non-US Residents

Costa Rica

To enter Costa Rica, you need COVID-19 travel insurance that a) is valid during the entire stay in Costa Rica, b) covers at least $50,000 in COVID-19 medical expenses if you were to be infected with coronavirus, and c) covers $2,000 of quarantine expenses necessary as a result of the COVID-19 illness.

After purchasing the insurance, you need to download the visa letter (confirmation of coverage letter) from MyAccount and upload it to the HealthPass website of Costa Rican government. That would allow you to print the QR code.

Argentina

Argentina's government specifies the required travel insurance as "Medical assistance insurance that includes confinement and isolation benefits for COVID-19".

Therefore, you can purchase the same plan, as it provides both the necessary medical coverage and quarantine coverage for COVID-19.

Venezuela

Travelers to Venezuela require COVID-19 quarantine coverage along with the medical coverage. Safe Travels Voyager, Safe Travels International, and Safe Travels International Cost Saver would meet those requirements.

Thailand

To visit Thailand, you must purchase COVID-19 travel insurance with a minimum of $100,000 coverage for medical expenses. Additionally, if you test positive for coronavirus while in Thailand, they would simply send you to the hospital or another government facility to quarantine. Fortunately, Safe Travels Voyager, Safe Travels International, and Safe Travels International Cost Saver do not distinguish where you need to quarantine to be eligible for benefits. Therefore, you can purchase the same plan to meet Thailand’s coronavirus travel insurance requirements.

Conclusion

Even though the COVID-19 insurance coverage requirements for several countries are mentioned above, Safe Travels Voyager is not limited to just those destination countries. U.S. residents traveling anywhere can purchase the insurance.

Safe Travels International and Safe Travels International Cost Saver do have a couple destination restrictions, so be sure to confirm that the plan is appropriate for your destination country before purchase. These two plans are available to non-U.S. residents.