North Korea tightens quarantine inspection on imported materials amid virus concerns

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency shows people spraying disinfectant to combat the Covid-19 and coronavirus in Pyongyang, North Korea, Feb. 15, 2020. EPA

North Korea has tightened its customs-related quarantine measures amid the cross-border proliferation of the new coronavirus that originated from China, its top trading partner, according to Pyongyang's state newspaper.

All goods arriving at North Korea's ports or passing through border bridges should be kept at isolated areas for 10 days without exception, fully disinfected and then delivered in accordance with relevant procedures, the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling party, said in a report.

All materials and packaging containers should be disinfected from top to bottom, it added, citing a study on the COVID-19 virus that shows its high survival rates.

"Materials being brought from another country could be used as a carrier to spread the virus," the newspaper said.

It claimed again that there's still not a single confirmed case of the virus yet in North Korea, which shares a border with China.

The reclusive communist North is known for stringent restrictions on information flow and tightly controlled state media. (Yonhap)

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