China Eastern Airlines announced that it is suspending its flights from Shanghai to New York and other US cities due to the rapidly spreading Wuhan coronavirus.
The carrier canceled flights from the sprawling Chinese city to the Big Apple and Los Angeles through Feb. 10, citing “the recent public health incident,” according to a notice circulated to travel agents, CNN Business reported.
The company also is canceling flights from Shanghai to San Francisco on Thursday and Sunday, to Chicago on Saturday and to Honolulu from Monday until March 27, according to the notice.
Several flights to LA, San Francisco and Vancouver that originate in Chengdu or Kunming with layovers in Nanjing or Qingdao also have been canceled this week, CNN reported.
“In the days to come, China Eastern will pay close attention to the epidemic, and may further adjust the arrangements of flights,” according to the notice.
Hawaii Lt. Gov. Josh Green, a physician, said “it’s a good thing that China Eastern has suspended their flights, but we still need to be vigilant about any passengers that are redirected through other countries to our state,” according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
The US has declared a public health emergency due to the outbreak, placing a temporary ban on foreigners who recently traveled to China — other than immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents.
The federal government also ordered a 14-day quarantine of those who visited Hubei province — where the epicenter city of Wuhan is located — within two weeks.
There are 3,000 American citizens potentially returning from China, but most live on the mainland and will require self-quarantine, Green told the news outlet.
Major international airlines including Air Canada, British Airways, Delta, Lufthansa and Qatar also have suspended all flights to mainland China amid the outbreak.



