North Korea bans foreigners from marathon over disease fears

 

North Korea has banned foreigners from participating in an international marathon due to fears of a spread of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).

The marathon is scheduled to hold in Pyongyang in April but foreigners will not be allowed to participate, a Beijing-based travel agency said.

“Our North Korean partners in Pyongyang contacted us this morning with news that the 2015 Pyongyang Marathon has - as of today - been closed to amateur and professional foreign runners,” Nick Bonner, director of Koryo Tours, told Reuters.

"We were told that this is due to the ongoing precautions that the country has put in place in relation to fears held there over the Ebola virus," he added.

North Korea has closed its borders to foreigners since October 2014 out of fears the Ebola might spread in the country.

The current Ebola outbreak, which is concentrated in West Africa, is the worst on record and has claimed more than 9,000 lives.