North Korea May Lift 5-Month Ban Set for Foreigners Amid Ebola Fears

North Korea may lift on April 1, a ban on foreigners entering the country which was imposed five months ago amid fears over the spread of the Ebola virus, the China-based "Young Pioneer Tours" tour firm said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – North Korea barred foreign tourists from visiting the country in late October. The measures were taken due to fears over the spread of the Ebola virus. The country also set up a 21-day quarantine period for all people entering the country and enhanced medical control points at its international airport, train stations and ports.

"We feel this information [coming to us] to be reliable, and we are planning business as usual from this date," the tour firm's statement reads.

The possible lifting of the ban has not yet been officially confirmed by Pyongyang, according to the company's statement.

Earlier in February, North Korea banned foreigners from participating in an international marathon race scheduled for April due to fears that the deadly Ebola virus could enter the country.

The current Ebola outbreak began in West Africa in the end of 2013, mostly affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. According to World Health Organization data, about 9,000 people have died since the disease was first reported in West Africa in February 2014 in the worst ever outbreak of the Ebola virus.