Second Aeroflot Flight Quarantined Upon Arrival in Beijing

For the second time in three days, passengers from Aeroflot Flight 204 from Moscow to Beijing have been quarantined after landing.

One foreign passenger on board informed us that after the flight landed at 9.50am, roughly a dozen people in hazmat suits came on board to start a checking process that lasted a number of hours.

Four Chinese nationals suspected of infection were taken away in ambulances, while the remaining passengers remained on board.

According to three people we talked to from the flight, some were taken to hotels for quarantine, some were taken directly for testing, and some were allowed to depart normally. 

It is not immediately clear exactly what criteria were used to separate the passengers, but one source says that the three rows in front and behind any persons suspected of infection were taken for testing or quarantine.

Additionally, one Chinese national, who boarded the quarantined flight after transferring from Rome and is among the passengers undergoing additional monitoring, told us that she had recently developed a mild cough and that her temperature was tested to be slightly higher than normal.

As of yet, there is no word on whether any infections have been confirmed from today’s flight.

The flight on Saturday was transporting a Chinese national returning from Iran who was later confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus.

Meanwhile, some of those quarantined from Saturday's flight are now being told they are cleared to go home.

One woman from Kazakhstan reports that she was cleared from quarantine this afternoon and is already en route to her Beijing residence in Fangshan District. In regards to further quarantine, authorities told her to follow the guidelines set by her housing complex.

Another passenger, an Italian woman, also received permission to return home late this afternoon.

Aeroflot 204 from Moscow to Beijing is traditionally a low-cost option for passengers transferring from European and Middle Eastern countries without a direct route to Beijing. It is one of the few routes that has not been canceled since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic.

READ: 400 Quarantined from Inbound Flight, Including Around 20 Foreigners

Image: Russian Aviation