The report did not make reference to any cases within the country, calling the new rules “pre-emptive measures”. Earlier this year the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un, placed a city called Kaesong in lockdown over fears a case may have arisen there.
North Korea has claimed there are no cases of coronavirus within the country at all.
However, citing the “ever-worsening world health crisis”, a state report claims the country will now toughen restrictions on boats entering its seawaters.
Using emergency “anti-epidemic units,” the country is due to burn seaborne rubbish as well.
The report, initially by the KCNA news agency and re-shared by KCNA Watch, states: “Emergency anti-epidemic system is in full force in the country with endeavours increasing to take cautions against possible porosity and take preemptive measures.”
As well as tougher restrictions on its waters, the North said it has built more “anti-epidemic checkpoints”.
It is also sterilizing certain goods that are imported into the country using special ant-epidemic units.
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However, experts are reportedly sceptical of the claim. In any case, a South Korean spy agency has called Mr Kim’s response to Covid-19 “unreasonable”.
The agency held a meeting with South Korean lawmakers on Friday last week.
It claimed Mr Kim has ordered at least two people to be executed in recent months – one a “high-profile money changer” the country deemed to be responsible for a falling exchange rate, AP news reported.
Another is said to have been an official who broke the country’s rules on importing certain goods from foreign countries.
Meanwhile the North has banned fishing and salt production at sea, the NIS claimed, thought it did not specify whether the rule was still in effect.
Worldwide, there have been 62,271,031 positive cases of Covid-19 with 1,451,531 deaths, according to Europe’s European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
In neighbouring South Korea, most recent figures show 413 new confirmed cases were reported yesterday, with one death.
It brings the total confirmed cases there to 33,824, with 523 deaths.
Earlier this year, the powerful Typhoon Maysak hit North Korea, causing thousands of people to lose their homes, according to reports.
Construction efforts to rebuild areas of the country have since been underway.