Report: North Korea to put a ban on foreign tourists over China virus threat

After the deadly virus outbreak in China, a number of countries have issued travel advisories against visiting China. Now North Korea has put a ban on foreign tourists from visiting the country, considering the new coronavirus that has engulfed China, as per a tour operator.

As per Young Pioneer Tours, the temporary shut down of the North Korean border started on Wednesday. The reason for this is that most tourists to North Korea come from China, or most of the time, are those travelling to the North from China.
As per a statement released by the China-based operator further details had not yet been confirmed by its partners in North Korea. "If you are currently booked on our upcoming tours to North Korea our staff will reach out to you to confirm further details," the statement read.

As of now, no virus case has been reported from North Korea, which originated in Wuhan in China. The virus has infected nearly 440 people all over China as per news reports. To inform the public and make them aware of the virus, the North Korea media has reported about the virus outbreak in China.
A similar situation happened when back in the year 2003, North Korea had shut down all its borders during the SARS virus outbreak (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) that was caused by a different coronavirus.

During that period North Korea had suspended all South Korean tours for nearly two months, as informed by the South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min.