DPRK to bar foreign tourists to prevent Ebola virus

PYONGYANG - Starting from Friday, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will temporarily disallow entry of foreign tourists in order to prevent the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, sources said Thursday.

An official at a tourism agency in Pyongyang, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Xinhua that he had received such notification from official channels, and that he is not sure how long the ban will last.

The DPRK official KCNA news agency reported Thursday that travelers will undergo more thoroughgoing check and quarantine at airports, ports and border railway stations. The major newspaper Rodong Sinmun released a report on the same day informing people of general information about the recent outbreak of Ebola and what measures have been taken across the world.

An information-sharing system has been put in place at anti-epidemic emergency headquarters around the country, through which diagnosis information could be rapidly shared.

So far no cases of Ebolo infection has been found in the DPRK.