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Korean Air suspends Sea-Tac flights as local coronavirus outbreak grows

caption: A line forms at security checkpoint 3 on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
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A line forms at security checkpoint 3 on Wednesday, December 13, 2017, at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer

The company is suspending all of its flights to Seattle starting next Monday, March 9. Seattle is just one of dozens of routes the airline is cutting.

Delta Air Lines and Hainan Airlines had previously suspended routes between Seattle, Beijing and Shanghai, and Korean Air had announced a reduction of flights to and from Seattle.

Other measures being taken at the airport: hand-sanitizer stations will be everywhere as the port and airlines up their battle against coronavirus.

Three quarters of Sea-Tac travelers fly on Alaska Airlines or Delta. Alaska is helping passengers adjust their travel plans and waiving change fees. The company is also improving plane cleaning between flights.

Delta has been fogging planes with disinfectant after they arrive in Seattle from Asia.

The airline says it is acquiring equipment so it can fog after trans-Atlantic flights from affected regions.

So far, there's been no word from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about whether outbound Seattle passengers will need to be screened.

But the Port of Seattle is asking passengers to take good care: Beyond washing hands and not touching the face, the airport would like passengers to stop using their mouths as temporary third hands. In short: do not use your mouth to hold your identity document or ticket, then hand it to someone else.

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