How do super-rich people escape the coronavirus?
The planet’s super-rich prepare for self-isolation during the coronavirus pandemic. But their plans go far beyond stockpiling hand sanitizers, buying toilet paper and pasta.
The world’s wealthy rent planes to fly to private islands, secluded villas, or special bunkers for natural disasters.
Many take their own doctors and nurses with them in case they catch the virus. In recent weeks, wealthy people in London have been besieging doctors at private clinics on Harley Street and demanding private tests for the coronavirus.
Mark Ali, chief executive and medical director of a private clinic in Harley Street, London, said: "This has led to huge demand from very wealthy people ... we cannot offer testing as the Department of Health has mandated that all tests should be carried out centrally by the NHS and Public Health England."
Adam Tweed, chief executive of private jet booking service PrivateFly, says his firm is experiencing a surge in bookings - with wealthy people organizing evacuation flights home from countries at high risk of coronavirus.
"Many of them belong to groups that include older tourists or those with health issues that make them particularly anxious when seeing crowds at airports," he said. That is why they are ordering a private jet for their family.
Mr Tweedell said wealthy customers had been organising private flights from the UK and other European countries ahead of a possible nationwide quarantine measure following Italy's lead.
The millionaire concierge company said members who cannot find private jets due to increased demand have requested access to private airport lounges to avoid the risk of interacting with the travelling public.
“For example, private terminals where guests are greeted and given their own room. Check-in, customs and security are carried out privately, and then guests are taken to the doors of the aircraft. Club members may require that the airstrip be thoroughly disinfected and that they have minimal contact with other passengers on their way to their seat in the cabin.”
Some of the members of the multimillionaire club have built underground superbunkers in the Midwest and New Zealand, designed to protect against nuclear attack and equipped with the latest technology.
Some multimillionaires have already hid their bunkers from the coronavirus and are refusing any visitors unless they can provide records of their movements and contacts.
Robert Visino, founder and director of Vivos Group, a California-based company building underground shelters designed to protect against natural disasters and disasters, said his firm has experienced a surge in inquiries and sales.
For those with millions in their pockets, Vivos has turned a Cold War-era bunker in Indiana into housing for 80 people and offers space in 575 concrete bunkers at a World War II ammunition depot in South Dakota.