As concerns over the coronavirus outbreak continue, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines have suspended flights between China and the U.S. The Associated Press reports that Delta and American announced the suspension of flights on Friday, becoming the first U.S.-based airlines to do so after a number of international airlines did the same.
United also announced suspension of flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu, although flights to Hong Kong will continue. Amerian Airlines confirmed the suspension is immediately in place as of Friday, and will continue through March 27, with United's suspension extending to March 28. Delta will suspend its flights on Feb. 6 to allow travelers to leave the country. The airline plans to resume flights by April 30.
On Thursday, the U.S. State Department advised against travel to China due to the outbreak, which has since been labeled a global public health emergency. Other airlines to have suspended service to China inclue Air France, Scandinavian Airlines, and British Airways. Due to the increasing number of confirmed cases steadily rising, there has been a sharp drop in interest when it comes to flights to and from China.
As of Jan. 31, there is a total of 9,776 confirmed cases of the virus, 9,658 of which were within mainland China. The number of deaths, meanwhile, sits at 213. So far, there have been six confirmed cases in the U.S., three in Canada, and two in the U.K.
