North Korea said it will close its borders to foreign travelers starting today due to fears of the Ebola virus.
The news came via tour agencies which specialize in inbound tours to the reclusive country.
One agency, China based Young Pioneer Tours, said it is a ‘complete blanket ban’ on all foreign travelers regardless of country of origin.
"Three days ago, they said that anybody who’s been to West Africa would have to provide a doctor’s certificate stating that they don’t have Ebola," said Gareth Johnson of Young Pioneer Tours.
"Now they just said no foreign tourists at all."
"The reason given was Ebola, and I can’t think of any other reason, as they don’t arbitrarily close the border," said Simon Cockerell, managing director of rival Koryo Tours.
The last time North Korea completely shuttered its borders was in 2003 during the SARS outbreak.
Last year around 5,000 foreign tourists visited the country with around 25% from North America.
The remainder are predominantly from China.
Separately, North Korea’s Health Ministry has talked of the importance of ‘responsible medical check ups’ on nationals returning from abroad, especially from the West Africa region.
There has been no word on whether this is official policy or how long the ban is likely to last.
Meanwhile, the US must make a formal apology to secure the release of the remaining two Americans still imprisoned in North Korea.
Earlier this week Pyongyang set free Jeffrey Fowle after six months behind bars in North Korea.
