North Korea joined the bandwagon of countries panicked by the Ebola crisis, with the reclusive nation reportedly implementing mandatory quarantines for people entering from any place.

On Thursday, North Korean state media agency Pyongyang Radio said everyone coming in from all international trips will be subjected to mandatory 20-day quarantine. The Associated Press (AP) also reported that the government informed diplomatic missions in the country that foreigners would be subjected to a 21-day medical observation upon entry.

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The reason for the 1-day discrepancy between the quarantine period remains unknown, The New York Times said.

North Korea is beefing up its efforts to determine "potential patients" as early as possible, state-run media said on Thursday. The government also imposed stricter quarantine efforts at the nation's entry points.

South Korean news firm Yonhap is monitoring the reports of the North's state media, the report added.

Just this week, North Korea met a special delegation from Japan with a welcome party that included two personnel wearing full protective gear. Japan, however, is not affected by the Ebola epidemic, according to the AP.

The previous week, the Ebola scare rattled North Korea enough to prohibit tourists from entering the country, even though tourism is one of the main sources of income of the economically ravaged nation.

As for foreigners who are already in the country for business and other temporary purposes, it is not yet confirmed if they have to stay until the imposed quarantine period ends.

North Korea also divided the quarantine groups into two - one would include foreigners entering the country from Ebola-stricken places, while those coming in from unaffected countries will be monitored at hotels and other locations, AP said.

Members of international groups and diplomatic missions would be quarantined in their own homes, the report stated.

In addition, North Korea seems to be taking measures to control outgoing trips. Singapore-based educational organization Choson Exchange this week announced that North Korea will not send a representative for a workshop set to take place in Singapore.

TagsNorth Korea, what is ebola, NoKor, quarantine, travel ban, Ebola outbreak