British Airways has suspended all flights to and from mainland China as the British Government finalizes urgent plans to bring Britons back from the coronavirus-hit province of Hubei.
The airline, which operates daily flights to Shanghai and Beijing from Heathrow, said it was halting the flights with immediate effect after the UK Foreign Office warned against “all but essential travel” to the country because of the virus outbreak.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, British Airways said: “We have suspended all flights to and from mainland China with immediate effect following advice from the Foreign Office against all but essential travel.
“We apologize to customers for the inconvenience, but the safety of our customers and crew is always our priority.
“Customers due to travel to or from China in the coming days can find more information on ba.com.”
It comes after the British Foreign Office updated its advice on Tuesday to warn against “all but essential travel” to mainland China, saying it may become more difficult for British nationals in other provinces to leave.
The death toll in the country has risen to 132, with confirmed infections surging to nearly 6,000.
Four cases have been confirmed in Germany, making it the second European country to report cases, after France.
The United Arab Emirates has also confirmed its first cases of the virus in a family who recently returned to the UAE from Wuhan.
In Australia, officials unveiled plans to evacuate some of its nationals from Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province, with plans to quarantine them in the Christmas Island immigration detention center for up to 14 days – the incubation period for the virus.
China has imposed travel restrictions between its major cities, while the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has suspended all tour group companies’ activities to prevent further virus spread.
Hubei province has been on lockdown for several days as China seeks to contain the illness, as have other parts of China.
Hong Kong also said on Tuesday that it would “temporarily” close some of its borders with mainland China and stop issuing travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists.