German airline Lufthansa scraps all flights to China over coronavirus

FRANKFURT AM MAIN: Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa said Wednesday it was cancelling all its mainland China flights over the deadly coronavirus until February 9, including those run by subsidiaries Swiss and Austrian Airlines.

Each of the carriers will fly to their respective destinations in China "one last time" to give passengers and crew "the opportunity to return to Germany, Switzerland and Austria", the Lufthansa group — one of Europe's largest airline companies — said in a statement.

Ikea to close half stores in China

Earlier, Swedish furniture giant Ikea had announced to temporarily close half of its 30 stores in mainland China until further notice amid concerns over the deadly new coronavirus.

"In response to the Chinese government´s call for strict and effective disease control, Ikea Retail China will temporarily close around half of the stores in mainland China until further notice, effective from January 29," the company said in a statement.

Chinese authorities said Wednesday the number of confirmed deaths in the outbreak has risen to 132 nationwide, with the confirmed total of infections now nearly 6,000.