ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Airlines is suspending its flights to mainland China after the World Health Organization said it was declaring the coronavirus outbreak in China a global emergency, the company’s CEO said on Friday.

Bilal Eksi said on Twitter that flights scheduled for four destinations in China - Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xian - had been canceled until Feb. 9, taking into the account the latest decision by the WHO.

Several airlines have suspended flights to China in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, which as of Thursday had killed 170 people and infected almost 8,000.