Delta and American Airlines announced that they are suspending all flights between the United States and China as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread. American Airlines said the suspensions are effective immediately and will last until March 27. Delta Air Lines announced that they will suspend flights from February 6 until April 30.
United Airlines suspended 356 of its China flights and is the only U.S. carrier that is still planning to offer flights to China.
The suspensions come as the State Department issued a travel warning, advising people to avoid traveling to China.
U.S. carriers are not the only ones taking precautions amid the global viral outbreak. British Airways, Air Seoul, Lion Air, Lufthansa Group, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Air Asia, Air India, Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, and Korean Air have all suspended some or all of their flights to and from China.
Health officials said that more than 200 people have died from the virus, and the number of infections has risen to more than 9,600. While most of the cases are in China, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global emergency as cases are being confirmed in countries around the world. The United Kingdom, Russia, and Sweden confirmed their first cases of the virus on Friday (January 31).
China is attempting to curb the virus from spreading and has quarantined roughly 50 million people in dozens of cities near Wuhan, which is where the outbreak began.
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