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Polish LOT Airlines Extends Suspension of Flights to China to 29 February Over Coronavirus

WARSAW (Sputnik) - Poland's LOT Airlines said on Tuesday that it had extended its suspension of flights to Beijing until 29 February to ensure its passengers' and crew's safety amid the new coronavirus outbreak.
Sputnik
"The safety of passengers and crew members of LOT Airlines is our top priority ... The company's leadership has decided to extend the suspension of all flights between Warsaw and Beijing until 29 February", the company said in a statement.

On 2 February, the country's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Polish citizens had been evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan and surrounding Hubei Province due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Last week, following the World Health Organization's advice regarding the coronavirus and consultations with the Polish Health Ministry, the company announced that it had suspended flights to Beijing until 9 February. The company also expressed its readiness to organize additional flights to return Polish citizens from China to their homeland.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has infected over 20,000 people and claimed the lives of more than 400 others.

The symptoms of the new coronavirus are typical of common cold or flu: fever, coughing, sneezing, difficulty breathing.

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