"As of Wednesday the 22nd of January, 2020, the DPRK will temporarily close its borders to all foreign tourists as a precaution to the Coronavirus," Young Pioneer Tours said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added that whilst the current border closure time is undefined, the Korean authorities have reassured them that once preventionary measures against Coronavirus have been instituted, they intend to reopen the border.

The United States confirmed the first case of the coronavirus on its territory on Tuesday, after a tourist returning from Wuhan, the center of the outbreak in China, landed in Washington State.

At the same time, the Emergency Committee on the new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) meets today to ascertain whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, and what recommendations should be made to manage it. (ILKHA)