North Korea will ban foreign tourists from entering the communist country later this week, two China-based tour operators said Thursday, a move in line with the North's stepped-up efforts to prevent an outbreak of Ebola in the nation.

   Young Pioneer Tours, the Xian-based travel agency specializing in tours to North Korea, said in a statement that the North will prohibit foreign tourists from entering the country from Friday due to concerns over the Ebola virus.

   "We have just received news from our travel partners in North Korea that as of tomorrow (24th October 2014) tourists from any countries, regardless of where they have recently visited, will be temporarily suspended from entering North Korea as a strict measure of protection against the recent Ebola outbreak in the world," the statement said.

   Another tour operator, Koryo Tours, which is based in Beijing, also said on its Twitter account that it has been told by North Korea about the ban from Friday, but added it was uncertain how long the ban would be put into place.

   In 2003, North Korea closed its borders because of the spread of the SARS virus.

   The North is toughening quarantine measures at ports, airports and border areas, the Korean Central TV Broadcasting Station quoted a health ministry official as saying.

   The official stressed the importance of "responsible medical check-ups" on the North's people returning from West Africa and other countries hit with the virus as well as foreign visitors.

   The North's main newspaper, the Rodong Sinmun, also carried a report of the rapid spread of Ebola around the world and related symptoms.

   In a Sept. 24 report, the official Korean Central News Agency said the North is in the midst of a "brisk campaign" against Ebola.

   It said related authorities took measures to "develop preventive medicine against Ebola with regular sanitation and anti-epidemic work." (Yonhap)