Postcards from Asian airports as coronavirus tightens its grip

[snoop1130]

Postcards from Asian airports as coronavirus tightens its grip

 

An empty arrivals terminal following the coronavirus outbreak, at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand March 12, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - From Beijing to Jakarta, many usually bustling Asian airports have become eerily empty and quiet as coronavirus tightens its grip over the region where the outbreak first began late last year.

 

Airline staff looking more like surgeons in their face masks and other protective gear shepherd trickles of passengers towards sparsely populated, and well-disinfected, departure lounges. Many flights have been cancelled.

 

At Beijing International Airport, passengers arriving to check in for flights are greeted with the message: "Please keep one metre away from each other while queuing."

 

In January, passenger numbers through this airport fell more than 15% from the previous year to 7.295 million. February's figures are expected to be worse.

 

Tokyo's huge Haneda airport has a similar deserted feel.

 

In March last year, over 1.6 million people passed through this airport, but this month relatively few passengers cross its gleaming floors or visit its bars and restaurants.

 

Passengers using Seoul's Incheon Airport also faced no tiresome wait to check in for their flights.

 

Seoul's Gimpo International Airport, which mainly serves overseas routes to Japan and China, had no international flights on Thursday for the first time in 40 years, local media said. Nobody at the airport was immediately available to confirm the reports.

 

More normal scenes prevailed at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, Singapore's Changi Airport and Sydney Airport on Thursday, though many passengers queuing to board their flights wore face masks.

 

Airports in Europe and beyond are likely to increasingly resemble those in South Korea and Japan in coming weeks.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered travel from Europe to the United States restricted for 30 days to contain the spread of coronavirus, a move that has battered global airline stocks and thrown the travel plans of thousands of people into confusion.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-03-12

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Stargeezr]

Wow. 2020 is shaping up to be a mean year. Will it mean that the dictator will kill

the illegal carbon tax in Canada that was forced on the Canadian population, without a vote by all Canadians.  Will it mean the stumble of liar Trump, who may actually have to tell the truth soon?

Many questions to consider.

Geezer

[Scot123]

What insane dribble. You do know this is about C19 and nothing at all to do with politics, the breathing tax or Trump. Hating haters who seem to spend all their time in a very depressive haters hate mode. Oh the sky is blue "Trump derangement syndrome kicks in with a sprinkle of climate change religion thrown in  "The grass is green" just more of the above derangement syndrome. Get out enjoy the world as you only have 8 more years and it all ends... Lol

Edited March 13, 2020 by Scot123
Change

[Grumpy John]

16 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Wow. 2020 is shaping up to be a mean year. Will it mean that the dictator will kill

the illegal carbon tax in Canada that was forced on the Canadian population, without a vote by all Canadians.  Will it mean the stumble of liar Trump, who may actually have to tell the truth soon?

Many questions to consider.

Geezer

You need a chill pill dude...in fact take 2 them and have a good lay down!