Delta suspends flights to China amid coronavirus outbreak
ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines said it will suspend all U.S. flights to China due to concerns of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 200 people so far.
Delta announced Friday that flights to the region would be temporarily suspended beginning Feb. 6 through April 30.
"Between now and Feb. 5, Delta will continue to operate flights to ensure customers looking to exit China have options to do so," the airline stated in a news release.
(Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On Thursday, the United States State Department issued the highest travel advisory level warning against traveling to China.
The State Department’s level 4 travel advisory said, “Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China.”
“Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice. Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China,” the advisory said.
The World Health Organization’s determined that the rapidly spreading outbreak constitutes a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
US State Department issues warning against traveling to China amid coronavirus outbreak
The last China-bound Delta flight departing the U.S. will leave on Monday, Feb. 3 with the last return flight back to the U.S. departing China on Feb. 5. The airline said it will continue to monitor the situation closely and may make additional adjustments as the situation continues to evolve.
The number of coronavirus cases spiked more than tenfold in a week, including the highest death toll in a 24-hour period reported Friday.
China counted 9,692 confirmed cases with a death toll of 213, including 43 new fatalities. The vast majority of the cases have been in Hubei province and its provincial capital, Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak. No deaths have been reported outside China.
In Atlanta, concerns over the latest coronavirus have impacted more than just the airport.
Coronavirus outbreak impacting Atlanta organizations
Organizers of the Spring have postponed a Chinese festival scheduled for next week due to the illness. The event was originally scheduled for Feb. 6 in Gwinnett County, but that is now on hold indefinitely.
Georgia Tech said they had two students studying abroad or interning in China. School officials said they're reaching out to them to provide assistance and make arrangements for them to leave the country.
Georgia health officials have said there are no confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the state currently.
The Georgia Department of Public Health said that they are continuing to evaluate patient information from healthcare providers around the state about potential cases of the virus, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This week, the husband of a Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from the epicenter of an outbreak in China became the first case of person-to-person transmission in the United States.
The CDC said the best way to prevent infection of any respiratory virus is to wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; avoid touching the face with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are sick; cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, then throw the tissue away and clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.