Dalai Lama Placed Under Quarantine As Precautionary Measure - Spokesperson

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The leader of Tibet’s Buddhists has been placed under a quarantine, as a precautionary measure in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, his spokesman in Russia said.

"His Holiness Dalai Lama is currently under quarantine imposed as a precaution," Telo Tulku Rinpoche said.

According to the spokesman, all events and meetings with the participation of Dalai Lama have been postponed or cancelled.

The 84-year-old spiritual leader of Buddhists lives in the northern Indian hill town of Dharamshala and gives teachings to thousands of people throughout the year, travelling for this purpose both to various Indian states and other countries.

The World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on March 11. More than 270,000 people have been infected with the coronavirus worldwide, with over 11,000 fatalities.