A medical worker sprays disinfectant on an ambulance after carrying a patient infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus at a hospital in Daegu on February 23, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

The US and South Korean militaries on Thursday postponed forthcoming joint exercises due to the coronavirus outbreak, they said.

The decision was made after Seoul declared its highest "severe" alert level over the virus, Combined Forces Command said in a statement, adding the combined command post training had been postponed "until further notice".