The Ban on Direct Flights To and From China is Now in Force

The Czech government announced the ban on direct flights between the Czech Republic and China due to the new coronavirus outbreak on February 3rd.

The last flight from China arrived at Prague’s airport on Saturday, bringing a number of Czechs who opted to leave the country due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Prague has 12 flight connections a week with China, operated by three Chinese airlines. Hainan Airlines has been operating in Beijing since 2015, a year later Sichuan Airlines began flying to Chengdu, and in 2017 China Eastern Airlines launched a flight to Shanghai, with a stopover in Xi’an.

The flu-like virus has been declared a global emergency and spread from China’s Wuhan province to more than two dozen other countries and regions, with the first death outside of China reported on Sunday.

The coronavirus death toll on mainland China reaches 722.

On Monday, China’s health ministry said another 3,062 cases were reported over the previous 24 hours, while Johns Hopkins reported a total of 40,510 cases globally.

More than 360 cases have been confirmed outside mainland China. The virus has spread to at least 27 countries and territories, according to official reports.

On Saturday, February 6th, a US citizen has become the first foreigner to die from the new coronavirus. The 60-year-old died at a hospital in the Chinese city of Wuhan – the epicentre of the outbreak – the US embassy said.