Coronavirus: UAE suspends flights to and from China except Beijing

Stoppage to come into force from Wednesday, in response to the outbreak in Wuhan

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  Officials in full protective gear disinfecting Indonesian students as they disembark upon the arrival at Hang Nadim international airport in Batam, following their evacuation from the Chinese city of Wuhan due to the deadly SARS-like virus. AFP

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  People wear protective masks as they visit Global Village in Dubai. EPA

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  A quarantine worker disinfects a bus entering the National Human Resources Development Centre in Jincheon, South Korea. EPA

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  A Buddhist monk wears a mask to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus as he collects alms in Chinatown at Bangkok, Thailand. Reuters

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  Airport officials wait to screen the temperature of passengers in order to detect a possible coronavirus infection, at Cairo International Airport, in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

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  Turkish, Azeri and Georgian evacuees dressed in protective suits and wearing masks leave a Turkish military cargo plane as they are flanked by medical workers upon their arrival from China's Wuhan in Ankara, Turkey. Reuters

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  Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) unit soldiers prepare for the arrival of forty-two evacuees from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Albania arriving by plane from coronavirus hit Wuhan, China, at the airport in Ankara, Turkey. EPA

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  Ambulances and medics wait for the arrival of 42 people from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Albania on a Turkish Air Force cargo plane at the Etimesgut military Airport in Ankara after being repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak. AFP

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  A person holds a child as passengers grab their luggages as they disembark a Turkish cargo plane at the Etimesgut military Airport in Ankara after being repatriated from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new coronavirus outbreak. AFP

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  Airport officials screen the temperature of passengers in order to detect a possible coronavirus infection, at Cairo International Airport, in Cairo, Egypt. EPA

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  A Vietnamese family wearing protective face masks walk outside a railway station in Hanoi. AFP

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  A citizen receives directions from a quarantine official at the National Medical Centre, where the 13th patient infected with the novel coronavirus is being treated, in Seoul, South Korea. EPA

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  A leukaemia patient and her mother coming from Hubei province cross a checkpoint at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus. Reuters

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  A mother reacts as she pleads with police to allow her daughter to pass a checkpoint for cancer treatment after she arrived from Hubei province at the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge in Jiujiang, Jiangxi province, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus. Reuters

The UAE will suspend all flights to and from China, with the exception of the country's capital, Beijing, which will remain unaffected.

The General Civil Aviation Authority said the suspension would come into force on Wednesday until further notice. The decision is part of precautionary measures undertaken by the UAE to confront the outbreak of coronavirus.

"We continue to put our confidence in the Chinese Government’s efforts to control and contain the situation," the from the GCAA statement said.

The authority said passengers travelling from Beijing International Airport will be required to undergo a comprehensive medical screening, of between six to eight hours, at the airport to ensure the safety of passengers before boarding.

It called on airlines to communicate the new procedures with passengers to avoid flight delays.

The GCAA said the decision to suspend flights came after studying and analysing the current conditions on the spread of the virus. It worked with international and national bodies, including local carriers, before making the decision.

The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority and other organisations are "continuously evaluating the situation in China and will make decisions accordingly", the GCAA said.

All incoming and outgoing flights to Wuhan — the city at the centre of the crisis — have been cancelled since January 23, 2020.

The authority advised passengers to contact their airlines for updates on affected flights.

On Monday, the death toll from the virus climbed above 360. More than 17,000 people have been infected with the highly-contagious virus, the vast majority from within China. An 1,000-bed emergency hospital, built in just 10 days, opened in Wuhan on Monday to ease pressure on local medical centres. A second facility dedicated to serving infected patients due to open on Tuesday.

In the UAE, health authorities have confirmed five cases of coronavirus. They have urged the public not to spread rumours about the virus and to follow updates only from official sources.