North Korea has closed its borders to protect itself from the Ebola outbreak, a travel agent specializing in tours of the secretive nation has said. All foreign tourists will be banned from visiting the reclusive state from tomorrow in an attempt to stop the deadly virus from reaching the country.
Koryo Tours posted an announcement on its Twitter and Facebook pages, saying it had been told that no foreign tourists would be allowed to cross North Korea's heavily-guarded borders. Despite the secretive nature of North Korea, around 2,600 people visit the country each year. However, this figure is likely to drop because of the border closure, which could last for months.
The measures do not appear to be a blanket ban on travel to North Korea, Beijing-based Koryo Tours said, with business trips likely to still go ahead. Nick Bonner, the company's co-founder, said: 'The situation seems to still be in flux, and while the early news from our partners in Pyongyang was that all tourists would be barred from entering, we are still hopeful of taking in three groups we have scheduled to travel for the rest of 2014.
Officials in Pyongyang did not comment, however the state's news agency KCNA said today that no cases of Ebola has been detected in the country. Visitors and luggage have been subject to strict monitoring at airports, seaports and border railway crossings to China in recent days.
Efforts have also been made to increase public awareness of the killer virus and its symptoms. North Korean television news on Wednesday evening showed a video of Ebola patients and explained the dangers of the disease.
The country similarly closed its borders after the SARS scare in eastern Asia in 2003. The World Health Organization says that at least 4,877 people have died from Ebola this year, with nearly 10,000 cases recorded, but the true toll could be three times higher.
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