2019-NCOV “Wuhan” Coronavirus Impacting Global Travel
February 3, 2020
We continue to follow the rapidly-developing situation regarding a new airborne coronavirus that emerged in December 2019 in the Chinese province of Hubei. Major travel restrictions are in effect in a quarantine zone surrounding the city of Wuhan, including road checkpoints and closure of train stations and airports. Airlines are reporting significant numbers of cancellations of flights to China, leading to the suspension of many international routes. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) has ordered all air carriers to waive restrictions on changes or refunds to cover travel to and from all of mainland China points. The CAAC is also temporarily waiving slot usage requirements for Chinese airports.
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the outbreak met its criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), but emphasized “that the declaration of a PHEIC should be seen in the spirit of support and appreciation for China, its people, and the actions China has taken on the frontlines of this outbreak, with transparency, and, it is to be hoped, with success.” According to the WHO, “Not enough is known about the epidemiology of 2019-nCoV to draw definitive conclusions about the full clinical features of disease, the intensity of the human-to-human transmission, and the original source of the outbreak,” and the organization recommends against restrictions on international trade and travel based on available information.
Many airports around the world have implemented entry screening and quarantine procedures and national health authorities such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending avoiding all non-essential travel to China. U.S. officials also announced on January 31, 2020, that flights from China will be limited to arriving at New York-JFK, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Atlanta and Honolulu airports starting on February 2, 2020, but that the U.S. government is not contemplating a total flight ban at this time. As this situation continues to develop we will keep you apprised of any changes.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665).
Share This Post
Authors
