Plane lands in International Airport terminal T3 in Beijing, China
Plane lands in International Airport terminal T3 in Beijing, ChinaiStock

Airlines are drastically reducing the number of flights to China, and some airlines have halted flights altogether, promising to renew the trips within two weeks, after the incubation period for a new type of coronavirus has passed, Israel Hayom reported.

Meanwhile, an airplane evacuating approximately 240 Americans from Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus originated, was diverted Tuesday from Ontario Airport in California to a nearby military airbase, the Daily Mail reported.

United Airlines has dropped the number of daily flights to Beijing from 12 per day to just 3 or four per day, and has canceled all flights between February 1-8. British Airways as well has canceled its flights to China, other than those to Hong Kong.

Israel Hayom noted that those airlines which continue to fly to China have taken what they see as precautionary steps to prevent the spread of the virus. Thai Airways has begun sterilizing parts of its airplane, and China Airlines has asked passengers to wear masks during the flight. Cathay Pacific has asked air and ground crews to wear masks while interacting with passengers.

Other companies have requested passengers bring their own wipes and wipe their seats, food trays, and armrests, and passengers seated next to a window have been asked to wipe the wall of the plane, where they rest their heads. Any passenger who sees someone who looks unwell is asked to keep a distance from that individual and report him or her to the crew.

Meanwhile, Israel has not yet begun checking arrivals for symptoms of the new coronavirus, and has not yet provided guidelines for hotels as to how to handle new arrivals from China.