Is it safe to travel to China? New advice as coronavirus kills 170 and airlines stop all flights
THE deadly coronavirus has now killed 170 people, with thousands more infected around the world.
Governments including the UK and the US have warned their citizens not to travel to China, with airlines also cancelling flights to the country.
"The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of mainland China (not including Hong Kong and Macao)."
"The Chinese government continue to impose further restrictions on movement within China in response to the coronavirus outbreak."
It said: "CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China.
"In response to an outbreak of respiratory illness, Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, including buses, subways, trains, and the international airport.
"Additional restrictions and cancellations of events may occur."
It added: "There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas."
The CDC further advised that for US residents who have been to China in the last 14 days and who feels sick to seek medical care right away.
In its latest update, the World Health Organisation
, you should wash your hands carefully "using alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water" and do this regularly.
You should also avoid contact with anyone who might be sick and cover your mouth and nose when sneezing and wash your hands afterwards.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus?
Coronavirus is a new strain belonging to a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
The common early signs of infection include fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties, according to the WHO.
In more severe cases, the infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
This tends to be more common in people with weaker immune systems such as babies or the elderly.
It isn't clear where the virus originated from, but it is easily spread between humans.
How are flights, hotels and cruises affected?
Passengers travelling to or from China by air will be heavily impacted.
All flights to the cities on lockdown have been cancelled, with Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific and Taiwan's China Airlines axing all flights until the end of February.
British Airways has now cancelled all flights to China until January 31 following updated travel advice from the FCO.
German airline Lufthansa has also cancelled all flights to the country until February 9, while Air Asia has axed all flights until February 29.
Several major airlines, including American Airlines, United, Air Canada, Finnair have all cancelled flights due to a fall in demand.
A number of airlines are also handing out disinfectants and face masks for passengers, with low-cost carrier Scoot adding that the aircraft itself would be disinfected.
Hotel chains including Hyatt and InterContinental are also allowing guests to cancel their booked rooms in China until the end of the month without paying cancellation fees.
A number of major cruise lines have cancelled their upcoming sailings from China as well - including Royal Caribbean and MSC cruises.
What tourist attractions are closed?
Last week, a number of major attractions in China were forced to close.
The Forbidden City in Beijing and Disneyland in Shanghai were among the first to close ahead of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Disneyland said it would remain closed until further notice.
They added on social media that they were "monitoring the situation" and would reveal when they could re-open in due course.
Hong Kong Disneyland was also closed at the weekend.
Guests will be able to get refunds for their park tickets and hotels if they had booked to visit.
Parts of the Great Wall of China are closed too, including the most popular Badaling section.
More than 70,000 cinemas have closed across the country.
Major Chinese tourist attractions closed
According to Trails of Indochina, the major tourist attractions closed include:
- The Forbidden City in Beijing
- The Terracotta Warriors in Xian
- Yu Garden in Shanghai
- The Great Wall at Jinshanling in Beijing,
- Great Wall (Mutianyu Section) in Beijing
- The Ming Tombs in Beijing
- Gubei Water Town in Beijing
- Prince Gong's Mansion in Beijing,
- Forest of Stone Steles Museum in Xian
- The Ancient City Walls in Xian
- Shaanxi History Museum(Closed on Monday) in Xian
- Wuzheng and most sites in Hangzhou
- Huangpu River Cruise in Shanghai
- Mogao Caves in Dunhuang
The NHS is in the UK is currently on "high alert" for signs of the virus.
Doctors on the front lines in China have been seen breaking down and crying after days without sleep.
There is currently no vaccines for the virus.