GENEVA — North Korea, one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday. The WHO, which said it had been receiving "weekly updates" from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang. "As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There are 509 people in quarantine – two foreigners and 507 nationals," Dr. Edwin Salvador, the WHO Representative to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said in an email reply. "Since 31 December, 24,842 people have been released from quarantine, which includes 380 foreigners," he said.

Source: International New York Times April 07, 2020 21:22 UTC