Air Canada suspended flights to mainland China, Wednesday, as the Canadian government advised citizens to avoid non-essential travel to the Asian country.

The move comes in response to a growing outbreak of a novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 6,000 people, most of them in China.

The last Air Canada flights to Beijing from Vancouver departed over the noon hour Wednesday. Return flights will go ahead as planned Thursday, but service will then be suspended through the end of February.

Three Canadian airports – in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal – implemented enhanced measures to help contain the outbreak, including increased cleaning of public areas. Air Canada serves all three airports from China.

The company says it will continue to monitor the situation and adjust the schedule further, based on advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada and Transport Canada.