Nelson reconsiders flight suspensions

After the briefing, Vice Speaker Telena Nelson said she's reversing her call seeking to suspend flights from affected countries, including top tourist markets such as Japan and Korea.


"I feel confident now that the governor and the public health and all of our government agencies are working together," she said. "But it's important that we get this information out to the people, the risks that we face, the preventive measures that we need to put into place. And we have been assured by the deputy director and the director GIAA that they are working closely with the airlines to ensure there's assessments at the point of origin before they fly into Guam."


Nelson's proposal drew concerns from travel industry officials about the "drastic impact" it would have on tourism and the thousands of workers who rely on it.

Guam Visitors Bureau Chairman Sonny Ada says what's important now is that we send the right message to visitors.

"Quite frankly what's gonna happen if this virus continues to spread wildly you're gonna have cancellations," he said. "And then when cancellations happen the airlines are gonna decide we're either gonna reduce flights or cancel flights. So the industry will respond accordingly. The important thing is to not get the wrong message out there."

"It's still in the early stages, and we are creating a plan B and emergency plan, and that's been happening the last few days," Ada said. "It's a work in progress because every day the situation is changing. So it's a matter of getting the right information, and putting that information together, and making sure that Guam is ready should an outbreak or should the virus hit our shores." 

He says for now GVB and the industry should consider it business as usual.

To see where the virus is spreading through the globe, you can view the live map by Johns Hopkins University at this link: https://bit.ly/2UaAb3V