Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) has suspended some flights to Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Germany, Israel, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Poland, Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Denmark.
Previously, on Feb. 3, UIA banned flights to China. The airline announced its latest decision in a March 10 Facebook post, but the website announcement dating from March 5 hasn’t been updated yet.
UIA also stated that some domestic flights will be canceled without specifying which ones.
The company’s spokesperson could not be reached for comment, and the airline’s call center has not been working since March 8, according to comments on the Facebook post.
On Feb. 28, the Budapest-based WizzAir also cut 60% of its routes to northern Italy between March 11 and April 2 “due to change in demand,” the firm announced on its website.
A Ukrainian national was confirmed to have the Covid-19 disease on March 2, after returning from Italy. It is the first confirmed novel coronavirus case in Ukraine.
On March 10, Italy extended emergency coronavirus measures that include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings to the entire country, putting over 60 million people on lockdown.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte ordered people to stay home and seek permission for essential travel.
Italy’s coronavirus death toll jumped from 366 to 463 on March 10, making it the worst-hit country after China, where over 3,000 people have died since the outbreak of the deadly virus in Wuhan in December 2019.
According to the World Health Organization, the global number of infected people is now over 100,000.
Coronavirus in Ukraine: What you need to know
- The first coronavirus case was identified in Ukraine on March 3.
- Ukraine shut schools and canceled mass events starting March 12 to prevent the disease spread.
- Ukrainian airlines canceled some flights to 16 countries due to coronavirus.
- 49 Ukrainians ended up in quarantine on a cruise ship near California. Before, Ukrainians aboard the Diamond Princess ship refused to be evacuated.
- A Ukrainian lawmaker had to self-quarantine after a meeting with French counterpart who was diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Ukrainians evacuated from Wuhan spent two weeks in quarantine in a sanatorium in Poltava Oblast and were released on March 5. Their arrival caused unrest.
