White House considers suspending flights from China due to pneumonia outbreak

The White House told major U.S. airline executives on Jan. 28 that a temporary ban on flights from China was under discussion, according to officials who attended the meeting. The decision could affect flights to and from China, as well as airports across the United States.

The sources declined to be named because no final decision has been made. The Trump administration is also considering a number of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus globally.

United Airlines, the largest airline with more than 10 flights a day to mainland China and Hong Kong, announced yesterday that it would cancel dozens of flights next month. United Airlines said it had seen a significant drop in demand for travel to China.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning all U.S. travelers not to travel to China. A U.S. plane evacuated 240 U.S. citizens from Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly virus outbreak in China, early this morning, the U.S. State Department said.

Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, is the epicenter of the outbreak of pneumonia caused by a new strain of coronavirus (nCoV), which has killed 131 people so far and infected thousands across China and abroad, including Thailand, the United States, France, Canada, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Singapore, Nepal and Australia. Wuhan has been locked down, and public transportation in 18 other cities in Hubei province has been suspended to limit the spread.

Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang admitted on January 27 that he had mishandled the pneumonia outbreak and failed to release information in a timely manner, and was willing to resign to appease public opinion. Mr. Wang said on January 26 that he was "very distressed and felt guilty."