Coronavirus: Indonesia Shuts Down Embassy In S.Korea

Indonesia has temporarily shut down its mission in South Korea due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, local media reported on Friday.

According to Indonesian daily Republika, Indonesian Ambassador in Seoul Umar Hadi said the embassy and Indonesia Investment Promotion Center are temporarily closed as of Friday, as a coronavirus case has been reported in the area.

Hadi said the embassy will be closed until further notice.

Meanwhile, health authorities in South Korea said the total number of confirmed cases in the country has risen to 2,022, with 256 new cases.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry warned the public on Monday not to travel to the areas of Daegu and Gyeongsang Bukdo, which have a high number of coronavirus cases.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan in China's Hubei province last December.

The global death toll is some 2,800, with China the hardest hit, with more than 78,000 cases and over 2,700 fatalities.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency and said the global risk level remains high.

Writing by Sena Guler -