North Korean authorities have made a public decision to close entry for foreign tourists in the wake of the spread of the Ebola virus disease (EVD). The ban was to go in effect as of Friday, TASS reported referring to reports in Japanese media.
It was not known at the time of reporting how long the ban would remain effective but the authorities in Pyongyang said it would embrace all foreign tourists regardless of their nationality.
Korean Central News Agency issued a report earlier on Thursday saying a range of measures was being taken in the country to avert a spread of the EVD, but it did not say anything about a ban on inbound foreign tourism.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday the number of people infected with the EVD had reached 9,936 and 4,877 patients had died of the disease. The majority of cases have been registered in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
There are no registered vaccines or medicines against the virus but several countries, including Russia, are currently testing the experimental vaccines.