American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and other companies allowed staff to take exceptional precautions • US begins evacuating diplomats from China

• Travelers also wear masks, to be sure // Photo: Reuters

The Corona virus continues to cause panic around the world, especially in airlines flying to China. For Cathay Pacific staff, masks were suggested to be worn during the company's flights, as were other companies. American airlines American Airlines and United have also offered to wear masks during flights to and from China, due to concerns about getting infected and introducing the virus to the United States.

In the meantime, the United States will take special flights tomorrow to evacuate American diplomats and civil servants from China, with the goal of preventing American workers in the danger zones from getting infected with the virus. The United States is still debating the type of aircraft that is supposed to evacuate American workers; it could be assigned a relatively large Boeing 767, due to the large number of diplomats supposed to be evacuated from China.

Earlier, Cathay Pacific, EL AL and Heinan airlines announced the possibility of canceling or rejecting flights to China following the virus that continues to spread. There are reportedly several tens of thousands of people currently undergoing tests for fear of contracting the virus, which nests for about two weeks in the body before it bursts. It has also been reported that the peak of the disease is still ahead of us, and it is only in the coming weeks that the extent of the virus will be revealed.