Many countries have suspended flights to China, and tourists stranded overseas can apply to change their flights

[Caixin.com] (Reporter Tian Jiawei) As the COVID-19 epidemic spreads overseas, many countries have announced to strengthen border control and cancel or suspend some flights to and from China. Stranded...

[Caixin] (Reporter Tian Jiawei) As the COVID-19 epidemic spreads overseas, many countries have announced to strengthen border control and cancel or suspend some flights to and from China. The destination of some Chinese tourists stranded abroad has become a problem, and those who plan to go abroad in the near future may also be affected.

As of press time, there are 70 confirmed cases in overseas countries, namely: 14 cases in Thailand, 7 cases in Japan, 4 cases in South Korea, 5 cases in the United States, 2 cases in Vietnam, 7 cases in Singapore, 7 cases in Malaysia, 1 case in Nepal, 4 cases in France, 7 cases in Australia, 1 case in Cambodia, 2 cases in Canada, 4 cases in Germany, 1 case in Sri Lanka, and 4 cases in the United Arab Emirates.

Scoot, a low-cost airline owned by Singapore Airlines, announced on January 27 that, with the approval of relevant Chinese authorities, it will send two one-way direct flights from Singapore to Wuhan on January 29 and 30. The two flights were supposed to help a large number of people from Wuhan return from Singapore.

The total number of people carried on the two Scoot aircraft is unknown. An official from the Chinese Embassy in Singapore revealed to reporters that the embassy is also asking the relevant departments in Singapore about the total number of people stranded in Wuhan. The other party's reply will take time to calculate and accurate data cannot be provided for the time being. The Consular Office in Singapore has recently received applications to return to Wuhan from Singapore, and the number of applications is basically the same as the number of people on the two Scoot charter flights.

Scoot originally operated a direct flight route between Singapore and Wuhan, TR120, with two flights a day. Both planes were Boeing 787-900, and each flight could carry 290 to 300 people. Flights were suspended on January 23 due to the COVID-19 epidemic, and more than 100 changed tourists who originally planned to return to Wuhan were sent to Hangzhou on January 24.

The Singaporean government also announced that starting from January 29, all new visitors holding passports issued by Hubei Province in China will be prohibited from entering Singapore. At the same time, new visitors who have visited Hubei in the past 14 days are not allowed to enter Singapore.

On January 26, Japan confirmed its fourth case of pneumonia caused by the new coronavirus in the country. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated on January 27 that the virus would be designated as a "designated infectious disease" under the Infectious Diseases Act. This move will force patients to be hospitalized and restrict employment in accordance with the law, and the medical expenses of infected people will be borne by the Japanese government.

An official in charge of infectious diseases at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan confirmed to Caixin reporters that the principle that the Japanese government bears the medical expenses of patients with new coronavirus pneumonia in Japan will apply regardless of the patient's nationality. When asked why the Japanese government would not disclose the patient's nationality in the future, the Japanese official said: "Our job is to understand the condition, hospitalize the patient, and disseminate information related to the epidemic. In this process, the nationality has nothing to do with it."

He also said that if the patient's (nationality) is disclosed so that someone can know the (patient's) identity, it may lead to undue prejudice or human rights violations against the Chinese.

For Chinese tourists who are temporarily unable to return to Wuhan due to Wuhan's "lockdown" but are facing expiration of their visas, the Osaka Immigration Bureau said in an interview with Caixin reporters that considering the COVID-19 epidemic, travelers staying in Japan for a short period of time can apply for a visa extension if they have valid reasons; if the reasons are inappropriate or unreasonable, they will not be approved. He said that it will be determined based on the specific situation of tourists, and it is not convenient to disclose the specific conditions and standards at the moment.

According to figures released by the World Health Organization on January 28, Thailand currently has 14 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, making it the country with the largest number of confirmed cases outside China.

The Thai government and Immigration Bureau issued a notice on January 26 to cancel the fines for tourists who are unable to return to Wuhan for extended stays in Thailand to provide convenience for tourists.

The South Korean government stated on January 28 that it would send four charter flights to Wuhan to evacuate approximately 700 South Korean citizens there.

According to Yonhap News Agency's report on January 29, South Korea's Asiana Airlines stated on January 29 that it had decided to temporarily suspend the Incheon-Guilin and Haikou routes from February 1, and the Incheon-Changsha route from February 3 to prevent and control the new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic. Asiana Airlines will determine the time to restart operations after closely monitoring the progress of epidemic prevention and control work.

South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare raised the alert level for the new virus from "caution" to "alert" on January 27. Since then, Asiana Airlines has activated its countermeasures headquarters, instructing flight attendants to wear masks on board, and providing masks and hand sanitizer at airports, maintenance and other locations.

Asiana Airlines stated that it will provide free refunds and changes to air tickets for all passengers, and decided to lend a helping hand to Wuhan, where the epidemic is severely affected, and donate relief supplies. Starting from January 31, masks and medical supplies worth the equivalent of 40 million won (approximately RMB 236,000) will be loaded on flights from Incheon to Chengdu and Beijing for emergency delivery to the Wuhan area.

On January 28, Air Seoul also suspended flights from Incheon to Zhangjiajie and Linyi. Jeju Air will suspend its two routes from Busan and Muan in South Korea to Zhangjiajie starting from January 29th and 30th. Eastar Airlines has also decided to suspend flights from Qingzhou to Zhangjiajie from January 30 to February 29, and is also considering suspending other China routes. It is reported that the routes to China of South Korea's Tulway Air and Jin Air are also suspended.

According to the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), on January 30 and 31, 2 million masks, 100,000 sets of protective clothing, and goggles each jointly raised by the South Korean government and the private sector will be transferred to China.

In addition, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Wuhan, the China Regional Headquarters of Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the Wuhan Representative Office, and the Korean company WIITECH CORPORATION also donated 80,000 protective masks (including 20,000 children's masks).

The Philippine Immigration Service announced on January 28 that it would suspend the issuance of visas on arrival to Chinese tourists. "We are taking steps to slow down passenger flow, which may help stop the spread of COVID-19," Immigration Bureau Director Jaime Morente said in a statement.

The Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia announced on January 27 that it would temporarily ban the entry of Chinese citizens from Wuhan City and Hubei Province, effective immediately.

The South Asian country Sri Lanka confirmed its first new coronavirus case on the night of January 27. According to Sri Lankan media reports on January 28, on the evening of January 27, Sri Lanka announced that it would immediately suspend the issuance of visas on arrival to Chinese tourists. Sri Lankan officials said the move was aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Air Canada issued a statement on its official website on January 26 that it would cancel some flights to China in the next few weeks.

The statement said that passengers going to Pudong International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport can refund or change their tickets before April 20; passengers going to Wuhan Tianhe International Airport can refund or change their tickets before June 20. Passengers who cancel their tickets will receive a full refund. If you change your booking to the same cabin class, no fee will be charged. If you change your booking to a different cabin class, the difference will be charged.

United Airlines said on January 28 that it would suspend flights from the United States to Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai between February 1 and February 8 due to a "significant decline" in demand for services to China due to rising coronavirus cases.

A total of 24 round-trips are affected: between Hong Kong to San Francisco and Newark; Beijing to Washington Dulles, Chicago O'Hare and Newark; and from Shanghai to San Francisco, Newark and Chicago O'Hare.

Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have not yet reduced flights to China, but said they are closely monitoring the situation as the coronavirus spreads.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nuryshev stated on January 27 that in order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, Chinese citizens will be required to provide quarantine certificates when applying for visas, and the issuance of electronic visas on arrival to Chinese citizens will be suspended. He also said that considering that it would affect the return of Kazakh citizens, there are no plans to completely close the border with China for the time being.

There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the UK. However, the British Foreign Office announced on January 28 that it would evacuate citizens from Wuhan on January 30. However, it may be more difficult for British citizens who are currently stranded in other provinces of China to evacuate. The British Foreign Office also advised British citizens not to make "unnecessary" travel to China.

British Airways official website shows that there will be no direct flights to China in January and February. Previously, British Airways had daily direct flights from Wuhan to London Heathrow Airport.

Russian Ural Airlines announced on January 27 that it would suspend flights to China due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus. Ural Airlines has canceled all flights from Russia's Tyumen region and Yekaterinburg to Hainan Province, China's only destination, until the epidemic is eliminated, Ural Airlines' press office said in a statement.

According to the news released by the National Immigration Administration of China on January 29, Chinese citizens need to submit a health status declaration form when entering Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, France, Myanmar, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Australia and other countries.