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WHO: North Korea Able to Test for Coronavirus, But No Cases Reported

William Gallo

   SEOUL - North Korea is able to conduct tests for the new coronavirus,
   but still has not reported any infections, the World Health
   Organization told VOA Friday, amid international concerns that
   Pyongyang is not properly equipped to handle a possible outbreak.

   North Korea has cut off virtually all links to the outside world in
   response to the highly contagious virus, which has killed nearly 1,400
   people and infected more than 60,000 --almost all in next-door China.
   Calling the efforts a matter of "national survival," North Korea has
   banned foreign tourists, halted flights and train services with its
   neighbors, and implemented a 30-day quarantine for all arriving
   foreigners.

   Citing figures from North Korea's Ministry of Public Health, the WHO
   told VOA that 141 travelers entering North Korea have tested negative
   for the virus, after showing signs of fever. That is out of a group of
   "as many as 7,281 travelers" that entered the country between Dec. 30,
   2019, and Feb. 9, 2020, according to the North Korean figures.

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