The North Korean authorities have banned foreign diplomats from entering and leaving the country amid the spread of the coronavirus in the world, the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang said.

According to the embassy, if arrival in the country is forced or beyond your control, then entry into Pyongyang is allowed after passing a 15-day quarantine at the points of entry, RIA Novosti reported.

Employees of diplomatic missions and representative offices of international organizations are also advised to avoid contact with quarantined persons and move only within the diplomatic quarter, the report said.

The embassy explained medical checks will be carried out at medical posts established at the main entrances to the diplomatic missions of Russia and China, as well as the diplomatic quarter.

Chinese authorities informed the World Health Organization on January 31 about an outbreak of unknown pneumonia in Wuhan in the central part of the country. Experts have identified the causative agent of the disease - coronavirus 2019-nCoV. The number of people infected with coronavirus in China exceeded 20.4 thousand people, while 425 people died. Nearly 150 people fell ill outside of China, one of them died. WHO recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international concern.