People wear face masks to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Pyongyang, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, April 1, 2020. (CHA SONG HO / AP)

GENEVA - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), one of only a handful of countries not to have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19, has said that it continues testing and has more than 500 people in quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) told Reuters on Tuesday.

The WHO, which said it had been receiving “weekly updates” from the health ministry, said that the reclusive country had the capacity to test coronaviruses in its national reference laboratory in the capital Pyongyang.

As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There is no report of a COVID-19 case. There are 509 people in quarantine – two foreigners and 507 nationals.

Dr Edwin Salvador, WHO Representative to DPRK

“As of 2 April, 709 people - 11 foreigners and 698 nationals - have been tested for COVID-19. There is no report of a COVID-19 case. There are 509 people in quarantine – two foreigners and 507 nationals,” Dr Edwin Salvador, the WHO Representative to the DPRK, said in an email reply.

“Since 31 December, 24,842 people have been released from quarantine, which includes 380 foreigners,” he said.

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The WHO has been informed that the DPRK received primers and probes for use with PCR diagnostic tests from China in January, he added. The WHO has sent supplies of protective equipment.

The WHO’s website shows the latest global tally at nearly 1.3 million officially reported cases and 72,614 deaths in some 206 countries and territories - appearing to exclude the DPRK, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Yemen.

A UN human rights expert has called for lifting international sanctions against countries including the DPRK - imposed for its nuclear and missile programs - to ensure that food supplies reach hungry populations during the pandemic.

The Geneva-based WHO said in February that the DPRK had reported checking nearly 7,300 travelers over a six-week period to Feb 9. The health ministry said 141 travelers with fevers had tested negative for the novel coronavirus, it said.

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Some foreign experts have expressed doubts that the DPRK, which shares borders with China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), both hard-hit by the epidemic, has not detected any infections.

The DPRK has stepped up border checks and imposed quarantine measures. The head of US forces in the ROK said in mid-March that the DPRK had its military forces on lockdown for about 30 days and had recently resumed training.

“We are on lockdown ... We are very cautious about the spread of this virus,” a DPRK diplomat at its UN mission in Geneva told Reuters. “I understand we have no cases, zero cases.”