Emirates advises crew to stay in hotels, avoid crowds in China due to virus outbreak

Emirates airline is advising its flight crew to stay in their hotels when on a layover in China due to the new coronavirus outbreak there that has killed 81 people. In an internal notice, seen by Reuters, the airline also recommends that crew avoid areas where there would be large gatherings of people. Emirates flies to 3 mainland China cities, including Beijing and Shanghai. It does not fly to Wuhan where the virus first appeared. The carrier is providing hand sanitiser and face masks to crew operating flights to China, the Jan 27 internal notice said. An Emirates spokeswoman said crew have been advised to wear a mask during flights to China if they serve passengers with any symptoms. <br/>