Airlines, airports on the alert as disease spreads
From Asia to Africa and the US, precautionary measures are being put in place to protect staff and passengers from the coronavirus
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Hong Kong
AIRPORTS and airlines are taking steps to protect staff and passengers amid heightened concern over the outbreak of a new virus originating from the Chinese city of Wuhan. At least nine people have died and hundreds more have been infected, including the first confirmed case in the US.
The level of alarm is rising as the coronavirus spreads. China said it will conduct nationwide screening and improve monitoring of transportation links for the Chinese New Year holidays, which start at the end of this week. That complicates efforts to contain the virus as hundreds of millions of people travel during the period, the biggest annual migration of humans on the planet. People found to have symptoms such as fever at travel checkpoints are being stopped from boarding planes and trains.
Here's a look at how airports and airlines around the world are reacting:
Asia
Flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd, in response to complaints from its cabin crew union about the risk of "catastrophic" infection, on Wednesday said staff could wear protective face masks on flights to China if they wanted. The airline is also waiving rebooking, rerouting and refund charges for all tickets issued before Jan 21 for travel to or from Wuhan between Jan 21 and Feb 15.
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