Coronavirus Alarm: American Airlines Union Takes Legal Action To Block China Flights

Fears for the safety of American Airlines crews and passengers pushed the Allied Pilots Association (APA) to sue the carrier so it will make a move in blocking China flights, the group said late Thursday.

According to CNN, APA President Capt. Eric Ferguson argued that other global carriers have already decided to either cancel all China flights completely or reduce the number of routes to the virus’ country of origin.

Ferguson noted that the union’s decision to take legal action so as to force American Airlines to make a choice was done because the group wants to ensure the safety of not just crew members but also passengers flying with the carrier.

The APA represents 15,000 pilots under the U.S. carrier. While American already canceled flights on two China routes on Wednesday, APA pilots are demanding for more cautious steps to be taken.

In response to the request of its APA pilots, American Airlines said it will “continue to monitor the situation and make any updates as needed.” The routes canceled are those to and from Shanghai and Los Angeles, and flights to and from Beijing and Los Angeles.

Other airlines such as Lufthansa, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada, Air Astana, Air India, Air Macau, Air Seoul, and more announced this week that they will slash flights to China as the death toll continues to rise.

Meanwhile, among the latest countries to implement stricter limits on Chinese visits is Mongolia. The country, which borders between China and Russia, announced on Friday that it will close its Chinese border until March 2, the New York Times reported.

As of Friday, China announced 213 deaths from the novel coronavirus that has been traced to a seafood market in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province. In other countries, no deaths have been confirmed yet but over 100 patients have been infected.

By late Thursday, the U.S. State Department warned citizens to refrain from traveling to China. The department also raised the new advisory to Level 4. The said alert is the highest in the bracket and is only used in very critical situations.

CNBC reported that as of Friday, 7:30 a.m. EST, China’s confirmed coronavirus cases has reached over 10,000. Along with the news is Britain’s confirmation of its first two cases.

Earlier Friday, Singapore’s health ministry announced that it will stop issuing visas for all travelers with Chinese passports in efforts to hopefully stop the coronavirus from entering the city-state.

Medically recognized as 2019-nCoV, the Wuhan coronavirus has three main symptoms: cough, fever, and shortness of breath. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that people who experience the said symptoms should seek medical care as soon as possible.

Visit this link for more prevention tips from the CDC.