BEIJING (Reuters) – China will suspend direct flights to and from the UK indefinitely for fear of a new strain of coronavirus, said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
“After much consideration, China decided to accept references from other countries and suspend flights to and from the United Kingdom,” Wang told reporters in a daily interview.
“China will closely monitor relevant developments and dynamically adjust control measures depending on the situation,” said Wang.
Countries around the world are closing their borders with Britain after the emergence of a new highly infectious coronavirus strain.
There are currently eight weekly flights between mainland China and the United Kingdom, according to aviation data provider Variflight, including one by Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines.
British Airways operates two weekly flights from London to Shanghai.
(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Stella Qiu; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Tom Hogue)