CORONAVIRUS: African Airlines Suspend Flight To China

Five African airlines have announced the suspension of all its carriers to and from China until further notice following the widespread of the deadly coronavirus (2019- nCoV).

The airlines made the announcement on Friday, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Thursday that the virus has become a global emergency.

The virus was first diagnosed in December 2019 in Wuhan Province of China and has infected over 7,711 with over 180 recorded deaths since its outbreak, according to China National Health Commission.

Kenyan Airways says it is working with the country’s health and foreign ministries to determine the length of the suspension, while RwandAir, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius and the Royal Air have also suspended flights to mainland China where the virus is spreading exponentially.

However,  Ethiopian air says the airline will not suspend its operations, as it is working with relevant authorities to safeguard the passengers and crew from the Wuhan virus.

Similarly, Singapore on Friday announced a ban on Chinese visitors and other foreigners who had traveled to the world’s second largest economy in the past 14 days, as Vietnam has followed suit.

Meanwhile, Mozambique has temporarily banned the issuance of visas on arrival for travelers from China.