HONG KONG (REUTERS) - Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways will allow flight attendants to wear a surgical mask while operating mainland China flights due to concerns over the new coronoavirus, but the attendants’ union wants the measure to apply to all flights.

The coronavirus struck as millions of Chinese prepared to travel for the Chinese New Year, heightening contagion risks and posing a fresh threat to demand for the airline, which has been battered by months of sometimes violent anti-government protests in Hong Kong.