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N. Korea Says Still No Coronavirus Cases, but Appeals for International Help

William Gallo

   SEOUL - North Korea continues to insist there are no coronavirus
   infections within its borders, even as the impoverished country appeals
   to international aid organizations for help in preventing an outbreak
   of the disease.

   There has been "no single confirmed case" of the coronavirus, according
   to a North Korean public health official quoted in the Rodong Sinmun,
   the official paper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, on Tuesday.

   The North Korean official said nationwide preventative measures,
   including a strict quarantine system, have successfully blocked the
   virus, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

   The virus, which causes a pneumonia-like illness that was recently
   named COVID-19, has killed nearly 2,000 people and infected over
   73,000. Almost all the infections have been in China - North Korea's
   next-door neighbor.

   A coronavirus outbreak could quickly turn into a humanitarian disaster
   in North Korea, parts of which are impoverished. The country does not
   have the infrastructure or medical supplies necessary to adequately
   combat the virus, experts warn.

   After the virus emerged last month in central China, North Korea took
   quick steps to seal its borders. But doing so would be difficult in
   part because North Korea relies on both formal and informal trade with
   China. Several unconfirmed reports suggest the virus has already
   reached the country.

   North Korea, which has called the virus prevention efforts a matter of
   "national survival," has asked some international relief groups for
   help.

   A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders told VOA it received an
   official request from North Korean authorities in early February "to
   strengthen the national capacity to prepare for a potential outbreak of
   COVID-19."

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