China

KLM will be flying from Hong Kong to Amsterdam at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday, local time. The airline has been granted an exemption from the Dutch aviation authorities for the landing ban that applies to flights from the Chinese city, the Consulate General in Hong Kong announced. Dutch and residents of other EU or Schengen countries stuck in Hong Kong are advised to contact the Dutch airline, the Telegraaf reports. 

A team of ten scientific researchers from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and Utrecht University say they are the first in the world to discover an antibody capable of fending off an infection by the Covid-19 variant of coronavirus. The discovery could lead to an antiviral medication, and the ability for people to test themselves at home for the presence of the virus.

The growing severity of coronavirus in the Netherlands is continuing to rattle investors, and taking a toll on the country's businesses. By the end of trading on Friday, the AEX Index at Euronext Amsterdam closed 3.9 percent lower than a day earlier, and 15.6 percent down from the record high of 629.23 set on Valentine's Day.

KLM is extending the cancellations of most of its flights to China until at least May 3rd, the Dutch airline announced on Monday. From Monday through to May 3rd, flights to Hong Kong will be flown every other day, instead of daily. 

The cancellation affects flights to Chengdu, Hangzhou and Xiamen. KLM plans to resume flights to Beijing and Shanghai in April. "In this way, KLM customers can still reach other cities via these destinations."

The coronavirus outbreak in China is expected to push the prices of garlic and ginger. China is the world's largest exporter of these aromatics, responsible for 80 percent of all garlic in the world. In the Netherlands, 75 percent of all ginger and 66 percent of all garlic comes from China, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. And the doors of the Chinese warehouses full of garlic bulbs and ginger roots have been closed for weeks, NOS reports.

The coronavirus epidemic in China is affecting more recreational activities than cruises and travels. Veendam company EDC Retail, which claims to be the European market leader in the erotic toy industry, warns that there will be a shortage of sex toys by April if the situation around Covid-19 doesn't change, ANP reports.

The number of people infected with the new coronavirus on a cruise ship quarantined off the coast of Japan increased to 61, the Japanese Minister of Health announced. So far, none of the five Dutch people on board the ship seem to be infected with the lung virus. They are staying optimistic, one said to RTL Nieuws.

Fifteen Dutch and two Chinese spouses who were evacuated from the city of Wuhan - the epicenter of the new coronavirus outbreak - arrived safely at Eindhoven Airport around midnight, Minister Stef Blok of Foreign Affairs said on Twitter. The group departed from Wuhan during the early hours of Sunday morning, arrived in France at around 2:00 p.m., and then traveled to the Netherlands, NU.nl reports.

Dutch airline KLM announced the cancellation of its flights scheduled to serve China. The new cancellations will begin from February 2, to give passengers in China a better chance to return to the Netherlands as the coronavirus outbreak there continues.

The schedule will remain on hold at least through February 9. The announcement affects flights to Shanghai, and seven flights to Beijing, KLM said on Thursday. The airline cited advice it received from the World Health Organization as a primary factor in making the cuts, 

KLM began canceling its direct flights to China due to the outbreak of coronavirus ​2019-CoV, the Dutch airline announced on Wednesday. All direct flights between Schiphol Airport and Chengdu and Hangzhou were scrapped beginning January 30, as were all nonstop flights to Xiamen starting Friday. 

The airline also reduced its schedule to Shanghai from 11 flights weekly down to seven. The reduced schedule is in effect through February 29.

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs updated its travel advice for China on Monday night, warning that travelers should avoid the Hubei province except in cases of emergencies. The ministry cautioned that China has implemented many new and far-reaching measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "This leads to significant consequences throughout China and limits possibilities for transport, tourism and daily life," the Ministry said.