Family reunion plans canceled around globe due to coronavirus

Like many in the Chinese diaspora, Wang Yifan had hoped to be reunited with her family back home for the Spring Festival, but after learning about the recent coronavirus outbreak, she decided the trip was probably not worth the risk.

Wang said she purchased her ticket through Air China and was set to fly home at the beginning of February. She has yet to cancel her plane ticket, but is closely monitoring the situation and hoping it gets better as days pass. Wang was in Beijing when SARS broke out in 2003.

The Lunar New Year, which starts Jan 25, marks the world's largest migration of people as hundreds and millions of Chinese people are expected to travel within China and out of the country to reunite with friends and families during a weeklong holiday rush. The journeys often involve time spent on packed trains and airtight planes with recirculated air.

But this year's festival comes amid the peak of the coronavirus, a pneumonia-causing virus first reported in Wuhan, a large city in Central China. As of Thursday afternoon, the coronavirus had killed 25 people and sickened hundreds more, including people in the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam.

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) escalated the health warning to level 3 on Thursday, recommending people to avoid all nonessential travel to Wuhan.

Her Chinese friends are separated into two camps, Wang said. A group of them still hope to spend time with their families in China during this special occasion, but another group, like her, is concerned about the human-to-human transmission, so they have either canceled their plane tickets or are still deciding as the situation unfolds.

"I am really worried about my family and friends in China. We are in close contact with each other through phone and WeChat, and we remind each other to take the necessary precautionary steps," said Wang, an executive board member of the Chinese Civic Center in Houston, Texas.

Wang remembered the day of SARS, a similar viral outbreak that hit China during late 2002 and early 2003, which also overlapped with the Spring Festival. Wang said the current outbreak seems to be better controlled due to the improvement of medical equipment and the government's enhanced experience of dealing with epidemics.

Ai Qi, who works at a Pasadena, California-based technology company RMDS Lab, said she bought plane tickets to Seattle before CDC announced the first known US coronavirus case in the city. However, she has no plans to cancel her trip.

"I was actually in Beijing during the SARS epidemic and experienced the suspension of classes, so I'm more rational about this matter," she said.
But she did change some of her other plans. Instead of going to a restaurant for New Year Eve's dinner, she has opted for takeout food. She also has bought face masks from a local store.

According to official estimates, Chinese spent $149 billion during Spring Festival week last year. However, the outbreak is bound to change the event this year. For one, it is a major setback to the travel agencies.

Herman Tan, a manager at Fei Yang Travel, with headquarters in New York and offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and China, estimated that the epidemic will cause a 40 percent decline in revenue at his company.

"We don't suggest customers going to Wuhan or China at the moment, because health is the top priority," he said.

China's Civil Aviation Administration issued a notice Thursday instructing airlines and ticket agencies to provide free cancellations for passengers who purchased domestic flight tickets should they request them.

The American airline industry is working closely with the CDC, US Customs and Border Protection and public health officials to stop the spread of the virus.
On Thursday, a student at Texas A&M University in College Station traveled to Texas from Wuhan, China. The CDC has not ordered screening of passengers from the Chinese city at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) Airport at this time.

But Brazos County health officials said the patient met the criteria for coronavirus testing and was isolated at home while precautionary testing by the CDC is being conducted.

On Wednesday, an American Airlines passenger arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) from Mexico City was met by LA firefighters and police upon arrival and taken to the hospital at the direction of the CDC and county health department.

American Airlines flight 2546 landed at LAX about 6:45 pm Wednesday and a passenger had flulike symptoms, according to authorities.

It was not clear when results of the medical evaluation would be available. Swabs and blood samples from the individual have been sent to the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia, for tests to determine if it is coronavirus.

Separately Wednesday, nine passengers on a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Boston, Massachusetts, were evaluated. None of the passengers had any symptoms, according to the Massachusetts Port Authority.

Two passengers arriving at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport from Shanghai on Tuesday were stopped after appearing to exhibit symptoms of the virus. However, both were eventually cleared and released.

In Alameda County, which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area, a number of patients are being tested to see whether they have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus, according to health officials. But a spokeswoman for the county health department said there's no confirmed case of the coronavirus at this time.

On the same day the first US coronavirus case was confirmed this week, the CDC announced the expansion of the screening of passengers arriving from Wuhan to two more US airports: Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International and O'Hare.

They are in addition to the three airports announced last week: Los Angeles International, San Francisco International and John F. Kennedy International in New York.

The CDC said all travelers flying between Wuhan and the United States will be rerouted through one of five screener airports if they aren't already scheduled to fly there.

"We will notify [if there are] policy changes with the epidemic development … and wish all citizens a happy Spring Festival," the statement said.

In a statement provided to China Daily on Thursday, Delta Airlines said it's following the situation closely.

"Delta is using situational flexibility to adjust travel for customers with connecting itineraries between the US and Wuhan, China. We are continuing to monitor travel conditions and make adjustments as warranted," the airline said.