MOSCOW, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Russian authorities have quarantined a top Chinese diplomat as a safety precaution against coronavirus shortly after he arrived in Russia to take up his new post, the Interfax news agency reported on Monday.

Consul General Cui Shaochun arrived in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on Thursday to start his new job, but instead of having scheduled meetings he was told to stay at home for two weeks, Russian foreign ministry official Alexander Kharlov was quoted as saying.

The Chinese consulate in Yekaterinburg did not answer calls on Monday. (Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova, editing by Thomas Balmforth and Jon Boyle)