#North Korea warns yellow dust from China could cause COVID-19

Though North Korea hasn’t had a single confirmed case of COVID-19 so far, leaders are worried about a possible outbreak caused by seasonal yellow dust blowing in from China.

Officials are telling citizens to avoid the dust by staying indoors and to wear face masks if they must go outside, Reuters reported. Their claims that the dust could carry the coronavirus haven’t been unsubstantiated.

“As the new coronavirus infections continue to spread around the world, the need to deal with the yellow dust and take thorough measures has become more critical,” according to Thursday’s edition of Rodong Sinmun, North Korea’s official party newspaper.

The dust is coming from the Gobi Desert, roughly 1,200 miles from North Korea. The desert, which covers huge swaths of northern China and southern Mongolia, is one of the world’s most abundant sources of dust, according to NASA.

Health experts question whether North Korea really hasn’t had a confirmed COVID-19 case, but officials have locked down the country and imposed quarantine measures to avoid outbreaks.