Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia suspends international flights for two weeks

Reuters/Cairo
Filed on March 14, 2020 | Last updated on March 14, 2020 at 02.13 pm

The period will be considered as an exceptional official holiday for citizens and residents.

Saudi Arabia has suspended all international flights for two weeks, starting Sunday, March 15, to prevent the spread of coronavirus, state news agency SPA said on Saturday, citing an official source at interior ministry.

The period will be considered as an exceptional official holiday for citizens and residents who are unable to return due to the suspension of flights or if they face quarantine after their return to the Kingdom, SPA cited the official as saying.

Saudi Arabia has reported 86 coronavirus cases.

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronav...or-two-weeks-1

Two weeks seems to be the magic time for these international route and airport closures, perhaps because it matches the recommended quarantine time. Or, maybe it just represents the 'foreseeable future' in aviation.

The issue is that the extra measures that government's are taking will actually prolong the time that the virus will be around the general public but minimize the number of patients. For the hospitals that's great because it reduces the number of patients and spreads them out over a longer period, by for the aviation industry it will be a disaster.

I know it sounds crazy but the quicker it spreads the quicker it disappears.

If there's even one case left in the world untreated and life goes back to normal there's a good chance that the entire process will start again. How long before the number of cases is zero? Could take a year, maybe longer?

I believe that during the Spanish flu epidemic a century ago there was an initial out real followed by a decrease and then a second wave which did most of the damage.