As the coronavirus continues to spread, growing concerns have led British Airways to suspend all flights to China with ‘immediate effect’.
The airline has also suspended bookings from London to Shanghai and Beijing until March and there are no direct flights to China available on its website. According to Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the airline said it was ‘assessing the situation’ and that all flights except ‘essential travel’ to mainland China are suspended because of the outbreak of the virus.
A British Airways spokesperson said in a statement: ‘We apologise to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority. Customers due to travel to or from China in the coming days can find more information on BA.com’.
The UK reported its first case of the coronavirus as of Tuesday 28 January. The patient, Drew Bennet, is believed to have caught the virus on a visit to Wuhan over the festive period. He returned to the UK on New Year’s Eve and began to develop flu-like symptoms. After visiting his doctor, he was collected by an ambulance from his home by medics in hazmat suits and rushed to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
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