North Korea making 'all-out efforts' to guard against coronavirus

North Korea on Tuesday said that it was mobilising more than 30,000 health workers every day in an effort to guard against the spread of the deadly coronavirus that is causing havoc in neighbouring China. North Korea's state media reported that authorities have redoubled border inspections and are conducting screenings and medical surveillance on those returning from overseas business trips. As per reports, tens and thousands of workers were working in China before the United Nations asked Beijing to send them back in early December. China is the closest and the last diplomatic ally of North Korea and is also an aid benefactor as it shares a long border with the mainland. 

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So far, North Korea hasn't reported any case of the new coronavirus despite being the closest to the epicentre of the disease. According to media reports, experts fear that North Korea could be under the threat of the spread of the contagious virus because of poor health care infrastructure and lack of medical supplies in the country. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The world is battling the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus that has claimed more than 420 lives in China alone. According to the international press, the confirmed reported cases have reached up to 20,000 as of February 4. The disease is believed to have originated in a market in Hubei's Wuhan city, where animals were being traded illegally. 

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Chinese authorities have imposed a strict quarantine in 12 cities across the country, 11 of which are in the Hubei province. China built an emergency hospital in a record time of just 8 days to house patients with confirmed coronavirus cases. As per the US CDC, confirmed cases of the virus have been reported in 27 other countries that include some developed countries like, Australia, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Russia, Singapore, and Italy. 

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