Seoul, Nov 23 (IANS): North Korea has called for tighter border controls against the coronavirus pandemic, urging its officials to stay on "high alert at all times" amid a global resurgence of new cases, state media reported.

North Korea has intensified calls for tightened preventive measures against the pandemic after leader Kim Jong-un held a politburo meeting of the Workers' Party and stressed the need to "keep a high alert, build a tight blocking wall and further intensify the anti-epidemic work", Yonhap News Agency reported.

"Building a flawless blockade of barrier in preparation for the worsening global health pandemic is a critical issue in intensifying the anti-virus campaign," the North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a report on Sunday.

"We must continue to maintain an ironclad barrier to protect the safety of our country and our people," it added.

The North's state-run Korean Central Broadcasting Station also called on its officials to push ahead "more thoroughly" with the emergency anti-virus efforts in all areas, saying that the "entire barrier against the virus can collapse and pose a danger to the safety of the country and the people if all officials are careless even for a moment".

North Korea has claimed to be coronavirus-free, but it has maintained its tight border closure since earlier this year.