A South Korean diplomatic mission in Italy has temporarily suspended key, consular services after it found some Korean nationals it recently helped repatriate had been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The South Korean Consulate General in Milan sent a related notice to South Koreans under its sovereignty via email on Monday local time.

It said all its employees came into close contact with passengers of chartered flights while providing support for their departure from Milan Malpensa Airport. As a safety measure, all consulate employees will work remotely for two weeks and suspend face-to-face public services during the period. 

According to the central disasters and safety countermeasures headquarters, 11 out of the 514 people who returned on two chartered planes from Italy last week tested positive for the novel coronavirus.