A North Korean official has been shot dead after he broke the terms of his coronavirus quarantine. The trade official had been placed in medical quarantine after returning to the authoritarian country from China. After the government worker was caught going to a public bath however, he was arrested and immediately shot. Facing the possibility of the virus spreading, authorites in North Korea offiicials are taking strict preventive measures. Meanwhile, North Korea has closed its border with China and banned entry to all foreign tourists. Flights have been reduced with road and rail links either closed or heavily restricted.
According to reports, the deceased trade official is is said to have fallen foul of a decree by Kim Jong-un which vowed to 'rule by military law' against anyone who left quarantine without approval. Another official is said to have been exiled to a North Korean farm after trying to cover up his travels to China. The second official was reportedly a member of the secretive kingdom's National Security Agency. As of Friday, the overall death toll in China due to the deadly coronavirus increased to 1,380, with 63,851 confirmed cases.