National carrier Kenya Airways has suspended flights to China, hours after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Corona Virus a global health emergency as the outbreak continues to spread outside the Asian country.
As it stands, the virus has already claimed the lives of 213 people in China especially in Hubei Province, the epicentre of the virus while the United States has advised its citizens not to travel to China.
Initially, KQ seemed reluctant to suspend flights to China but it has now announced the suspension of all flights to and fro Guangzhou starting today.
“We have temporarily suspended all flights to and from Guangzhou starting Friday, January 31, 2020, until further notice. We, however, clarify that our service between Nairobi and Bangkok remains operational,” The airline said in a statement to newsrooms.
KQ further said that it remains in consultation with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs and will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.
“We apologise to all our customers for the inconvenience and reaffirm that the safety of our customers and staff remains our highest priority,” further reads the statement.
The airline has been on the receiving end over its failure to suspend flights to China as other countries were doing so while evacuating their citizens.
Meanwhile, the Kenyan student isolated at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) over suspicion of carrying the virus will continue to remain under observation at the facility, the government said on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Health was supposed to inform the public whether the student tested positive for the deadly virus.
The Kenyan student, 20 who jetted into the country earlier in the week, from Wuhan Hubei was immediately quarantined and his samples taken for testing.
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