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UN chief seeks to cancel meeting with ministers, diplomats due to coronavirus risks

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The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres has recommended that ministers and diplomats skip a meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York next month due to the coronavirus outbreak which has quickly spread across the world.

In a letter to UN member states on Friday from the chair of the commission, Armenia’s UN Ambassador Mher Margaryan said Guterres had recommended that member states “shorten and scale down the session” and cancel dozens of side events.

Reports say more than 7,000 people usually attend the annual meeting due to be held from March 9 to 2020, which is dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

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Meanwhile, South Korea urged citizens on Saturday to stay indoors as it warned of a “critical moment” in its battle against the coronavirus after it recorded 594 new cases taking the tally of infections in the country to 2,931.

Amid a record daily increase in infections since the country confirmed its first patient on January 20, South Korea is reported to be grappling with the largest outbreak of coronavirus outside China, as a new death took the overall toll to 17.

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