Coronavirus Outbreak Update: British Airways To Cancel Flights To And From China

British Airways announced it has stopped all flights to and from mainland China as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak.

“We have suspended all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect following advice from the Foreign Office against all but essential travel,” British Airways said in a statement. They went on to apologize to travelers, saying “the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.”

The flights immediately affected by the cancellations were scheduled Wednesday from Heathrow to Shanghai and Beijing, which are the most frequent flights British Airways run to China. There was no indication of when the flights would resume.

British Airways is just the latest airline to delay or cancel flights to and from China because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Korea’s Air Seoul, Indonesia’s Lion Air, and India’s Indigo said they were canceling several flights scheduled for early February. United Airlines announced it would be suspending several U.S. flights to Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai originally scheduled between Feb. 1 and Feb. 8. More airlines, like Air Canada and American Airlines, have not stopped flights in and out of China, but have reduced the number of flights.

Airports still accepting inbound flights from China have also begun increasing the number of viral screenings.

The coronavirus outbreak has ravaged China’s Hubei province, especially the city of Wuhan. Over 6,000 people have been infected by the virus and over 120 have reportedly died as a result of the virus. Chinese authorities have been working to try and contain the virus, placing most of Hubei on lockdown, while foreign citizens are being evacuated.

Despite efforts by China to contain it, a handful of coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the U.S. As of Tuesday, five cases were confirmed between California, Arizona, Washington, and Illinois by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization said it has also identified over 50 cases in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, France, Australia, Malaysia, Nepal, Germany, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Canada.