Ethiopian Airlines continues flights to China amid coronavirus outbreak

Ethiopian Airlines has said it is keeping its flights to and from China open, in spite of the new strain of virus spreading across mainland China and beyond.

The airline said on Friday it has put in place a system of precautionary measures that measure the temperatures of all passengers arriving.

Ethiopia Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said: "those who have the symptom of a high temperature more than 38 degree centigrade will be isolated here and tested and quarantined depending on the situation."

Ethiopian airlines has not followed the banning of its flights to China, unlike other African airlines, as well as other countries across the world, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) had not yet banned flights to and from China.

Kenya, South Africa and Rwanda have all suspended their flights to and from China.

"So we are exactly following WHO procedures but WHO has not said or has not banned any travel as you know. So, we have no reason to suspend," said Gebremariam.

Many passengers arriving on a flight to the Ethiopian capital were wearing masks.

(Representational image)