Russia has altered its schedule of diplomatic contacts over the novel coronavirus spread, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an interview with Rossiya-24 television channel on Sunday, EDNews reports citing TASS.

Countries are cancelling bilateral visits and changing their schedules of diplomatic contacts due to the virus spread, she noted.

"We are now working with this map of international events, adjusting, in particular, the Russian side’s schedule of diplomatic contacts," the spokeswoman said.

The coronavirus situation has also affected the work of Russian diplomatic missions in some countries, she said.

"The embassies are taking measures, carrying out work with the staff, analyzing the local side’s recommendations and correspondingly organizing the embassy activity," the diplomat pointed out.

On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 11 million.

The virus was identified on January 7 as 2019-nCoV. As of today, 103 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on February 11 that the organization gave the novel coronavirus an official name of COVID-19.

According to the latest reports, over 106,200 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China and other countries. The virus’ death toll has reached 3,600, yet more than 60,190 patients have recovered from the disease.

The largest number of coronavirus infections outside China has been registered in South Korea, Iran and Italy.