The decision by the National Emergency Commission was announced by Enkhamgalan Byambatseren, a member of parliament, who told Mongolians "it will be wiser to stay in (South) Korea where the healthcare system is much better than Mongolia".

Mongolia has not reported any cases of the novel coronavirus but is nervous about contagion since nearly 2,600 people have died in neighbouring China and dozens more in other countries.

Travel into and out of the capital Ulaanbaatar has been banned for the Mongolian Chinese New Year, known as Tsagaan Sar, which started Sunday and ends Thursday.

The landlocked country has also closed rural highways and suspended train and bus services during the five-day holiday.

The number of cases in South Korea has soared past 800 in the past few days - the highest figure outside China - leaving eight dead.

Mongolia late last month banned Chinese nationals and foreigners entering from China by plane, train or road.

Pickhardt had been serving as a Peace Corps English teacher in Mongolia since 2018. There have not yet been any reported cases of coronavirus in that country, but its government has imposed severe restrictions on movement and public gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.

On Tuesday, Pickhardt's mother, Nancy Pickhardt, told the Missoulian she was extremely disappointed with the Peace Corps' handling of the situation, and said she wanted her daughter and the other volunteers to be evacuated while travel was still possible.

She got her wish Wednesday morning, when Betsy called to tell her that they would be evacuating.

"She had just gotten an email," Nancy said at about 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday. "Betsy called me around half an hour ago and she said all her friends are like, 'I don't know how your mom did it.'" In addition to speaking to the Missoulian, Pickhardt had also reached out to the office of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester.

Further details about when and how the other volunteers will return home were not immediately available, although Pickhardt predicts it will take some time to remove them from this vast, sparsely populated country. "She's at least a 24-hour drive from the capital," she said of Betsy. With air travel limited by the coronavirus outbreak, "they're going to have to send out cars to all the different provinces."

Mongolia - which has not confirmed any infections - has suspended all flights from Japan, adding to previous restrictions on flights from China and South Korea. It has also extended a travel ban on people from Japan and South Korea until March 11.

It will also take precautions with other flights from Europe, Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan, Enkhamgalan Byambasuren, the transportation minister, told reporters.

Combating infectious disease is a particular challenge for Mongolia’s vast and thinly populated steppe, which lacks hospitals and even basic infrastructure.

The country has already sealed off its border crossings from China and suspended schools until the end of March.

Mongolia has also extended its suspension of coal deliveries into China until March 15. The suspension was originally due to come to an end on March 2.

Enkhamgalan said the drastic restrictions on internal movement were introduced after a Vietnamese citizen suffering from a fever was found to have travelled to the Bayan-Ulgii province on Tuesday. Five people are now under quarantine.

“There is likelihood the disease can spread to other parts of Mongolia,” he said.

Mongolians will now need to get specific permission from the head of their local emergency commission to travel out of Ulaanbaatar, city mayor Amarsaikhan Sainbuyan said on Wednesday.

He added that the car registrations and identity card numbers of travellers would be added to a database to help track potential sources of infection.

Ulaanbaatar was also considering restricting activities at monasteries, churches, restaurants and bars, the mayor added.

He said they would pay particular attention to the 28 Korean churches operating in Mongolia, and check whether any South Korean citizens working in Ulaanbaatar had recently travelled back from their home country.

South Korea has a total of 1,216 confirmed cases of infection so far, the highest outside China, and is to test more than 200,000 members of a church hit hardest by the outbreak. (Reporting by Anand Tumurtogoo; Writing by David Stanway; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

At the meeting, it was decided to strengthen coronavirus precautions and State Emergency Commission informed of the measures being taken and planned to prevent the disease.

The Cabinet decided to withdraw additional MNT 6.5 billion from the Government reserve fund to take comprehensive coronavirus precautions. The additional funds will be spent on medicines, medical tools and equipment, personal protective equipment, test kits, disinfectants, sanitizers, as well as the over-time pay and transport allowance of doctors and other health care workers.

It was decided to increase the funding as Mongolia is at very high risk of a coronavirus transmission and high risk of spread of the virus according to a Public Health Emergency Risk Assessment. Moreover, 771,805 people including elders and patients with chronic and other conditions are considered to be more at risk of infection.

So far, no coronavirus case has been confirmed in Mongolia. 216 people who had traveled to the countries affected by the virus, have tested negative for the virus after being quarantined and test results of seven suspected cases are pending.

After hearing about the ongoing and planned precautions, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh ordered the State Emergency Commission to extend the suspension of traffic movements between Ulaanbaatar and 21 aimags until March 2 and look into and resolve the matter of suspending flights between Mongolia and Japan over coronavirus concerns.

The automated control system selects the optimal mode of operation for the plant. It analyzes a set of parameters to determine when to store energy, and when to direct it to the network.

"The new SES provides reliable and uninterrupted power supply to the Burzyansky district, and in the event of an emergency shutdown or repair work on the power line, it can work autonomously," Rusnano said.

According to the chairman of Rusnano's board, Anatoly Chubais, the integration of renewable energy facilities and energy storage systems is a global trend. "For remote areas, such solutions not save costs on expensive diesel fuel, but also guarantee an uninterrupted energy supply based on green energy," he said.

The resolution is intended to be an update of a 1998 concurrent resolution in support of efforts to foster friendship and cooperation between the United States and Mongolia, to meet mutual goals and in line with future trends, as presented by Minister of Foreign Affairs D.Tsogtbaatar.

He introduced at the meeting that the resolution, promoting the development of the Strategic Partnership as well as a broader economic partnership, will show Mongolia’s willingness to intensify economic ties with the USA and will bring impetus to the US Congress approval of the ‘Mongolia Third Neighbor Trade Act’.

“This draft, upon approval, has a great significance to the strengthening of Mongolia’s third neighbor policy and national security.” said the Minister. In July 2019, Mongolia and the USA brought their relations to a new level - Strategic Partnership.

The Mongolian Parliament is expected to review the draft by summoning an irregular session before the Speaker’s visit as its regular spring session for 2020 is scheduled to open on April 5.

Also at the meeting, Minister D.Tsogtbaatar presented an issue of opening Consulate General of Mongolia to Chicago, where more than 8 thousand Mongolian nationals are residing in.

Until his latest appointment, Mr. Enkhbold served as Director-General of the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department in his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs beginning in August 2016 until January 2020. He was previously senior adviser at the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, between 2013 and 2016.

Mr. Enkhbold served as Ambassador-at-Large in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2012 and Ambassador to India and Sri Lanka from 2008 to 2011. He was Director-General of the Trade Policy and Economic Cooperation Department in the Ministry of Industry and Trade from 2004 until 2008.

In other foreign postings, Mr. Enkhbold was the Third and subsequently Second Secretary at Mongolia’s Embassy and Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva from 2001 to 2004. He was also Senior Officer in the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Department within the Ministry of External Affairs from 1999 until 2001.

Earlier, Mr. Enkhbold was Chief of the Investment Promotion Division at the Foreign Investment and Foreign Trade Agency of Mongolia beginning in 1996 until 1999, Economic Officer at the Mongolian Chamber of Commerce and Industry between 1991 and 1996, and a research fellow at the Institute of Renewable Energy of Mongolia from 1989 to 1991.

Mr. Enkhbold holds a PhD in international economics from the School of International Relations at the National University of Mongolia, and a master’s degree from the Technical University of Vladimir in the Russian Federation.

Born in Ulaanbaatar in 1965, he is married and has three daughters.