El Al to halt all flights to Beijing until March

The decision was apparently made after El Al employees refused to fly to China, due to fear of coronavirus.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
El Al Boeing 777 258 ER (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
El Al Boeing 777 258 ER
(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Israel's El Al Airlines announced a halt on all flights to Beijing until March 25 in light of the spread of the Novel (new) Coronavirus on Thursday, following the lead of other carriers that have suspended or scaled back flights to China due to the viral outbreak.
 
The decision was apparently made after El Al employees refused to fly to China, according to Calcalist. Thursday's flight from Beijing to Ben-Gurion Airport will return as scheduled.
New directives released by the Health Ministry on Wednesday also contributed to the decision.
The death toll from the spreading virus, which originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, has risen to 170, with the total number of known cases rising to 7,711, according to China's National Health Commission.