Medical personnel in protective suits stand by an ambulance, at the Sunan International Airport, in Pyongyang
North Korea announced Thursday it will quarantine foreigners entering the country for 21 days over fears of the spread of the Ebola virus, even though no cases of the disease have been reported anywhere in Asia, and very few foreigners are allowed to enter.
North Korea is always on guard against outside influences, but now that it perceives the deadly disease to be a threat, its anxiety has reached a new level. It has banned tourists, put business groups on hold and is looking even more suspiciously than usual at every foreign face coming across its borders.
Case in point: when a high-level delegation from Japan arrived in Pyongyang last week, two of the first people they met were dressed in full hazmat gear.
The steps also send a message to the North Korean people to be very afraid of the outside world and of outside influences.
An announcement distributed Thursday to diplomatic missions in Pyongyang said that, regardless of country or region of origin, all foreigners will be quarantined under medical observation for 21 days.
Foreigners from affected areas will be quarantined at one set of locations, while those from unaffected areas will be sent to other locations, including hotels. The staff of diplomatic missions and international organizations will be allowed to stay in their residences.
Tourist visits to North Korea were halted last week, so few were likely to still be in the country.
Most tourists do not stay for 21 days. It was unclear if they or others already in North Korea on shorter stays, for example on business, would have to remain for the quarantine period.
North Korea’s frantic response to the Ebola outbreak, including the broad but so far poorly defined ban on foreign tourism, is also surprising because it admits so few foreigners at all. Other than diplomatic and government missions, it has virtually no contact with any of the countries that have been most affected in west Africa, though Africa is one of the places it has tried to develop good relations.
Kim Yong Nam, the head of North Korea’s parliament, is now touring the continent, though not Ebola-impacted areas. Eric Talmadge, Pyongyang , AP
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