Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door site, with traveler reports and comments about the epidemic. And with this week's news that the disease has spread to a farm in northwestern France, the tourist fallout could extend to continental Europe and beyond. Because British officials say they will maintain public access restrictions one month after the last case is reported, the threat of disease may keep great swaths of countryside, from the Scottish Highlands to the English Cotswolds, essentially off-limits for months. Hundreds of Britain's historic sites, Stonehenge and Hadrian's Wall among them, also could remain closed. British officials confirmed 18 cases Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Great Britain to 250.
Authorities are quick to point out that the disease is harmless to humans.
Welcome mats in neighboring Ireland are still out, but these days they're likely to be soaked in disinfectant. The country is still free of the disease, but skittish authorities have canceled public events, including Saturday's St. Patrick's Day parade through Dublin. The closures in the United Kingdom already are forcing some tour operators to cancel trips. Industry giant Maupintour, for example, decided Wednesday to scrap a seven-day walking tour of the Cotswolds scheduled for May 12. Thursday, the company canceled a second walking tour scheduled for June.