KUCHING, Jan 26 — Sarawak plans to temporarily postpone the launch of direct flights from Kuching to Haikou, China through Hainan Airlines, due to the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak.

Sarawak Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said the flights were supposed to begin this April or May, with the minister himself scheduled to go to Hainan — the province in which Haikou is located — in February to sign the agreement concerning the flights.

He said this when making a Chinese New Year visit as part of a delegation led by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, here today. — Bernama