Flights canceled as Beijing's new virus outbreak raises concerns

Passengers to leave Beijing by fights have to exhibit a green health code that proves they had no contact with the wholesale food market where new cases have been detected. Provinces in other parts of China required people from Beijing to be quarantined or show a negative result of a nucleic acid test.

Beijing: More than 60% of commercial flights in and out of Beijing have been canceled as the Chinese capital raised its alert level on Wednesday against a new coronavirus outbreak and other nations confront rising numbers of illnesses and deaths.

The virus prevention and control situation in Beijing was described as extremely grave at a meeting of Beijing's Communist Party Standing Committee led by the city’s top official, Party Secretary Cai Qi.

“This has truly rung an alarm bell for us,” Cai told participants.

The website of the Communist Party’s Global Times said 1,255 flights to and from the capital’s two major airports were scrapped by Wednesday morning. Beijing Capital Airport is traditionally the world’s second busiest in passenger capacity.

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That accounts for 67% of outgoing flights and 68% of incoming flights, the newspaper said.

No official public notice on a change in regulations has been issued by China’s civil aviation authority or by either Beijing Capital Airport or Beijing Daxing International Airport. But Beijing Capital said on its microblog it expected to handle 500 flights on Wednesday, sharply lower than in recent days.

The cancellations are among several limits on travel in and out of the city, especially in hot spot areas. Beijing had essentially eradicated local transmissions until recent days, with 137 new cases since late last week.

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On Wednesday, the city of 20 million people raised its threat level from 3 to 2, leading to the cancellation of classes, suspended reopenings and stronger requirements for social distancing. China had relaxed many of its coronavirus controls after the ruling Communist Party declared victory over the virus in March.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.

But the virus is highly contagious and can be spread by those with mild or no visible symptoms.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and could lead to death.

(AP)