Major airlines around the globe are restricting or cutting service to China amid an outbreak of a mysterious virus that has killed more than 130 people.
British Airways, Air India, South Korea-based Seoul Air, and Indonesia-based Lion Air have either canceled all flights to China or are planning to do so. American Airlines stopped flights to Beijing and Shanghai on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
Finland’s Finnair, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, and Singapore’s Jetstar Asia are also all planning on restricting service into China. The disruptions in travel are adding to the overall economic impact of fears over coronavirus, which broke out in the Chinese city of Wuhan earlier this year.
Since the outbreak, the disease has spread to nearly 20 other countries, including the United States. Nearly 6,000 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus in China. Outside of China, Thailand has the most reported cases of the infection at 14. China accounts for all of the virus’s fatalities.
The Centers for Disease Control has confirmed five cases of the virus in the U.S. and is monitoring more than 100 other potential cases.
Various governments have worked to evacuate some of their people from the most vulnerable parts of China. A U.S. flight carrying 210 diplomats, businessmen, and other Americans from Wuhan landed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Tuesday evening. Roughly 11,000 Americans are still in and around Wuhan.
