A Hong Kong-based airline asked 27,000 employees Wednesday to take three weeks of unpaid leave to lessen the economic impact from the coronavirus that has engulfed mainland China. HONG KONG RAMPS UP CORONAVIRUS FIGHT BY QUARANTINING VISITORS FROM MAINLAND CHINA"I am appealing to each and every one of you to help," he said. The airline implemented a similar unpaid leave program in 2009 during the global financial crisis, and during the 2002-2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak in which hundreds died. In the video, Tang said the Lunar New Year -- one of the airline's most profitable seasons -- was "one of the most difficult... we have ever had." The request comes as multiple airlines around the world have suspended flight operations to China.

Source: Fox News February 05, 2020 22:14 UTC